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Emc Avamar 7.4 And Service Packs Administration Guide
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EMC Avamar ® ® Version 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide 302-003-176 REV 02 Copyright © 2001-2017 EMC Corporation All rights reserved. Published March 2017 Dell believes the information in this publication is accurate as of its publication date. The information is subject to change without notice. THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION IS PROVIDED “AS-IS.“ DELL MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. USE, COPYING, AND DISTRIBUTION OF ANY DELL SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN THIS PUBLICATION REQUIRES AN APPLICABLE SOFTWARE LICENSE. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. Other trademarks may be the property of their respective owners. Published in the USA. EMC Corporation Hopkinton, Massachusetts 01748-9103 1-508-435-1000 In North America 1-866-464-7381 www.EMC.com 2 EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide CONTENTS Figures 11 Tables 13 Preface 17 Chapter 1 Introduction 21 EMC Avamar system overview................................................................... 22 Avamar server............................................................................... 22 Avamar clients............................................................................... 26 User interfaces.............................................................................. 27 Data Domain system support......................................................... 29 Data deduplication......................................................................................30 Security and networking.............................................................................30 Encryption..................................................................................... 30 IPv4 and IPv6 support.................................................................... 31 Chapter 2 Avamar Administrator 33 Overview of Avamar Administrator............................................................. 34 Installing Avamar Administrator.................................................................. 34 Installing Avamar Administrator on Microsoft Windows................. 34 Installing Avamar Administrator on Linux....................................... 35 Upgrading Avamar Administrator................................................................36 Uninstalling Avamar Administrator.............................................................. 37 Editing Avamar Administrator client preferences........................................ 37 Setting a session time-out for Avamar Administrator..................................37 Starting Avamar Administrator................................................................... 38 Avamar Administrator dashboard................................................................39 Launcher buttons.......................................................................... 40 System Information panel.............................................................. 40 Activities panel.............................................................................. 43 Capacity panel............................................................................... 45 Critical Events panel...................................................................... 45 Avamar Administrator user interface elements........................................... 46 Status bar......................................................................................46 Navigation tree features................................................................ 49 Mouse shortcuts........................................................................... 50 Chapter 3 Client Management 51 Overview of Avamar clients........................................................................ 52 Client domains............................................................................................52 Creating a domain..........................................................................53 Editing domain information............................................................ 53 Deleting a domain.......................................................................... 54 Client registration.......................................................................................54 EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide 3 CONTENTS Client-side registration.................................................................. 55 Registering a client in Avamar Administrator................................. 55 Batch client registration................................................................ 56 Activating a client.......................................................................................58 Re-activating a client.....................................................................59 Client paging.............................................................................................. 59 Pageable clients............................................................................ 59 Non-pageable clients..................................................................... 60 Editing client paging settings......................................................... 61 Editing client information............................................................................62 Viewing client properties............................................................................ 62 Enabling and disabling a client.................................................................... 63 Moving a client to a new domain.................................................................64 Retiring a client.......................................................................................... 64 Deleting a client..........................................................................................65 Chapter 4 User Management and Authentication 67 Overview of Avamar user accounts............................................................ 68 User authentication.................................................................................... 69 How Avamar authenticates users and assigns roles....................... 69 Avamar internal authentication................................................................... 70 Directory service authentication.................................................................70 LDAP directory service authentication........................................... 71 OpenLDAP directory service authentication.................................. 77 Adding an NIS directory service.....................................................82 Error messages during directory service configuration.................. 83 Adding an LDAP map..................................................................... 84 Editing the role for an LDAP map...................................................85 Deleting an LDAP map................................................................... 85 Editing the time-out value for directory service processes............ 86 Enabling backward compatibility with Enterprise Authentication................ 87 Roles.......................................................................................................... 87 Administrator roles........................................................................ 88 Operator roles............................................................................... 88 User roles...................................................................................... 90 Adding a user to a client or domain.............................................................90 Editing user information............................................................................. 92 Deleting a user............................................................................................92 Chapter 5 Backup 95 Performing on-demand backups.................................................................96 Performing an on-demand backup of a client................................ 96 Performing an on-demand group backup....................................... 97 Scheduling backups.................................................................................... 97 Datasets........................................................................................ 98 Schedules.....................................................................................103 Rules.............................................................................................110 Retention policies......................................................................... 112 Groups.......................................................................................... 117 Enabling scheduled backups.........................................................126 Monitoring backups...................................................................................126 Canceling backups.....................................................................................127 Managing completed backups................................................................... 127 Finding a completed backup to manage........................................127 4 EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide CONTENTS Validating a backup...................................................................... 128 Changing the expiration date for a backup................................... 129 Changing the retention type for a backup.................................... 130 Viewing backup statistics............................................................. 130 Deleting a backup......................................................................... 132 Chapter 6 Restore and Recovery 133 Restoring data from a backup................................................................... 134 Finding a backup.......................................................................... 134 Restoring to the original location.................................................. 137 Restoring to a different location...................................................137 Restoring to multiple locations..................................................... 138 Monitoring restores...................................................................................140 Canceling restores.................................................................................... 140 Windows client system recovery............................................................... 140 Red Hat and CentOS Linux system recovery............................................. 141 Reconstructing the partition table................................................ 141 Preparing the target recovery client.............................................142 Performing system recovery of a Red Hat or CentOS Linux client.... 143 Troubleshooting system recovery of a Red Hat or CentOS Linux client............................................................................................ 147 SUSE Linux system recovery.................................................................... 148 Reconstructing the partition table................................................148 Preparing the target recovery client.............................................149 Performing system recovery of a SUSE Linux client.................... 150 Troubleshooting system recovery of a SUSE Linux client.............154 Oracle Solaris system recovery.................................................................155 Preparing for Oracle Solaris system recovery.............................. 155 Performing system recovery of an Oracle Solaris client............... 156 Chapter 7 Server Administration 159 Server shutdown and restart.....................................................................160 Shutting down the server.............................................................160 Restarting the server................................................................... 160 Stopping the MCS........................................................................ 161 Starting the MCS..........................................................................161 Getting MCS status...................................................................... 161 Stopping the EM Tomcat server................................................... 161 Starting the EM Tomcat server.................................................... 162 Getting EM Tomcat server status................................................ 162 Suspending and resuming server activities................................................162 Suspending and resuming backups and restores.......................... 162 Suspending and resuming scheduled operations...........................163 Suspending and resuming maintenance activities.........................163 Managing client sessions...........................................................................163 Monitoring client sessions............................................................ 163 Viewing a detailed client session log............................................. 164 Creating a Zip file for EMC Customer Support.............................165 Canceling a client session.............................................................166 Resetting a client......................................................................... 166 Managing client agents and plug-ins......................................................... 166 Adding a build record....................................................................167 Editing version or build records.................................................... 167 EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide 5 CONTENTS Deleting a build record................................................................. 168 Disabling all client initiated activations......................................... 168 Disabling all client initiated backups............................................. 168 Backup and maintenance windows............................................................ 168 Editing the backup and maintenance windows............................. 170 Checkpoints.............................................................................................. 170 Creating a checkpoint................................................................... 171 Deleting a checkpoint....................................................................171 Rolling back to a checkpoint......................................................... 172 Clearing a data integrity alert....................................................... 173 Activating the Avamar software and installing a server license..................173 Activating the Avamar software when using the EMC Common Licensing Platform........................................................................173 Generating a server license key using legacy licensing................. 174 Installing and activating a license..................................................176 Managing services..................................................................................... 177 Information on the Services Administration tab............................ 177 Changing server passwords and OpenSSH keys........................................179 MCS configuration settings...................................................................... 180 Backing up MCS data................................................................... 181 Restoring MCS data..................................................................... 182 Reverting to the default MCS configuration settings................... 183 Using network address translation (NAT)................................................. 183 Solutions for common NAT problems........................................... 184 Editing network settings for a single-node server..................................... 185 Adding a custom security notification for web browser logins...................185 Viewing and editing server contact information........................................ 186 Chapter 8 Server Monitoring 187 Recommended daily server monitoring......................................................188 Monitoring activities................................................................................. 188 Activity Monitor details................................................................ 188 Monitoring server status and statistics...................................................... 191 Server Monitor tab....................................................................... 191 Server Management tab...............................................................194 Event monitoring...................................................................................... 205 Event notifications...................................................................... 206 Event profiles.............................................................................. 208 Viewing events in the Event Monitor............................................ 214 Viewing the event catalog............................................................ 215 Acknowledging system events..................................................... 216 Customizing error events............................................................. 216 Server monitoring with syslog................................................................... 216 Configuring local syslog................................................................217 Configuring remote syslog............................................................218 Server monitoring with SNMP..................................................................222 Configuring server monitoring with SNMP.................................. 222 Viewing Avamar server log files................................................................ 225 Audit logging............................................................................................ 226 Viewing the Audit Log..................................................................226 Automatic notifications to EMC Customer Support..................................227 Usage Intelligence........................................................................227 Email Home..................................................................................228 ConnectEMC............................................................................... 229 Verifying system integrity.........................................................................233 6 EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide CONTENTS Chapter 9 Capacity Management 235 Capacity utilization information................................................................ 236 Capacity limits and thresholds.................................................................. 236 Capacity forecasting.................................................................................237 Customizing capacity limits and behavior................................................. 237 Editing capacity settings for Avamar Administrator..................... 237 Chapter 10 Replication 241 Overview of Avamar replication................................................................ 242 Types of replication..................................................................... 242 Replication scheduling................................................................. 242 Replication authentication........................................................... 243 Location of replicas on a destination Avamar system................... 243 Replicas at Source....................................................................... 244 Retention of replicas....................................................................246 Replication with Data Domain systems........................................ 247 Enabling Replicas at Source......................................................................247 Configuring policy-based replication.........................................................248 Replication destinations...............................................................249 Replication groups........................................................................251 Performing on-demand replication........................................................... 257 Performing on-demand replication from the Replication window.257 Performing on-demand replication from the Policy window.........257 Performing command line replication....................................................... 258 Command reference.................................................................... 258 CLI examples............................................................................... 268 Monitoring replication...............................................................................270 Monitoring replication in Avamar Administrator........................... 270 Canceling a replication task....................................................................... 271 Restoring by using a replica on a destination system.................................271 MCS configuration parameters to support Replicas at Source................. 273 Changing the configuration of Replicas at Source....................... 275 Chapter 11 Server Updates and Hotfixes 277 Overview of the Avamar server software update process.........................278 Avamar Downloader Service........................................................ 278 AvInstaller and Avamar Installation Manager................................279 Installing and configuring the Avamar Downloader Service....................... 281 Configuring the Avamar Downloader Service............................... 281 Downloading new packages from the EMC repository..............................282 Downloading and installing packages on the Avamar server......................282 Viewing a list of installation packages on the Avamar server.....................283 Uploading installation packages to the Avamar server................. 284 Repository tab headings.............................................................. 284 Deleting packages from the Avamar server.............................................. 285 Viewing the history of installations........................................................... 286 Installation history information.................................................... 286 Using the legacy Avamar Downloader Service.......................................... 288 Legacy Avamar Downloader Service installation requirements.... 288 Downloading the legacy Avamar Downloader Service software... 288 Installing the legacy Avamar Downloader Service software......... 289 Enabling HTTPS.......................................................................... 289 Configuring the legacy Avamar Downloader Service....................290 Updating the legacy Avamar Downloader Service software..........291 EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide 7 CONTENTS Uninstalling the legacy Avamar Downloader Service....................292 Downloading new packages from the EMC repository................. 292 Viewing a list of packages available for download........................ 292 Verifying connectivity with the EMC repository.......................... 293 Monitoring Avamar Downloader Service status........................... 293 Stopping and starting the Avamar Downloader Service monitor.. 294 Troubleshooting Avamar Downloader Service issues................................ 295 Chapter 12 Avamar Client Manager 297 Overview of Avamar Client Manager........................................................ 298 Connection security.....................................................................298 Apache web server authentication...............................................298 Editing the session time-out period............................................. 298 Increasing the JavaScript time-out period................................... 299 Avamar Client Manager configuration properties.........................300 Starting Avamar Client Manager............................................................... 301 Login page................................................................................... 302 Global tools.............................................................................................. 302 Adding an Avamar server............................................................. 302 Removing an Avamar server........................................................ 303 Changing the settings for an Avamar server................................ 303 Selecting a server........................................................................ 304 Filters.......................................................................................... 304 Viewing details............................................................................. 310 Exporting data..............................................................................310 Setting the entries per page limit.................................................. 311 Viewing tool tips........................................................................... 311 Overview................................................................................................... 311 Server Summary...........................................................................312 Dashboard.................................................................................... 313 Clients.......................................................................................................315 Client and server tools..................................................................316 Add Clients.................................................................................. 322 Registered Clients........................................................................327 Activated Clients......................................................................... 328 Failed Clients............................................................................... 330 Idle Clients................................................................................... 331 Upgrade Clients............................................................................331 Policies..................................................................................................... 334 Adding clients to a group............................................................. 334 Removing clients from a group.................................................... 335 Viewing the dataset policy of a group.......................................... 335 Viewing the retention policy of a group....................................... 336 Viewing the schedule policy of a group........................................ 336 Queues..................................................................................................... 336 Canceling a task...........................................................................337 Logs..........................................................................................................337 Viewing the client log after upgrading an Avamar client...............338 Clearing all log entries in a section............................................... 339 Chapter 13 Avamar Desktop/Laptop 341 Overview of Avamar Desktop/Laptop.......................................................342 Requirements for Avamar Desktop/Laptop.............................................. 343 Client computer requirements..................................................... 343 8 EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide CONTENTS Web browser requirements..........................................................345 Network requirements................................................................. 345 Avamar client software installation........................................................... 346 Supported systems management tools........................................ 346 Push installation on Windows computers..................................... 346 Push installation on Macintosh computers................................... 347 Local client installation.................................................................348 Avamar client software uninstall.................................................. 348 Avamar Desktop/Laptop user authentication........................................... 349 Pass-through authentication....................................................... 349 LDAP authentication....................................................................350 NIS authentication.......................................................................352 Avamar authentication.................................................................352 Mixed authentication................................................................... 353 Avamar Desktop/Laptop user interfaces.................................................. 354 Client UI...................................................................................... 354 Web UI........................................................................................ 355 Backup with Avamar Desktop/Laptop...................................................... 360 Scheduled backups...................................................................... 361 Add data option........................................................................... 362 Single-click backups.................................................................... 362 Interactive backups..................................................................... 363 Disabling on-demand backups..................................................... 365 Changing the retention policy for on-demand backups................366 Restore with Avamar Desktop/Laptop..................................................... 366 Finding data to restore................................................................ 366 Restore types.............................................................................. 367 Restore requirements.................................................................. 368 Restore limits.............................................................................. 369 Restore of replicated backups..................................................... 370 Client backup and restore activity history.................................................370 Editing Avamar Desktop/Laptop parameters.............................................371 Avamar Desktop/Laptop parameters............................................371 Client log locations................................................................................... 373 Chapter 14 Data Domain System Integration 375 Overview of Data Domain system integration........................................... 376 Integration of Avamar with Data Domain..................................... 376 File system backups on a Data Domain system............................ 377 Application backups on a Data Domain system.............................377 VMware instant access................................................................ 377 Cloud tiering................................................................................ 378 Checkpoints on a Data Domain system........................................ 378 Data Domain system streams.......................................................378 Replication with Data Domain systems........................................ 379 Monitoring and reporting Data Domain system status................. 379 Security with Data Domain system integration............................ 380 Data migration to an attached Data Domain system.................... 380 Preparing to add a Data Domain system................................................... 380 System requirements for Data Domain system integration.......... 380 Creating a DD Boost user account............................................... 383 Adding a Data Domain system.................................................................. 384 Appendix A Command Shell Server Logins EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide 387 9 CONTENTS User accounts.......................................................................................... 388 Starting command shell sessions.............................................................. 388 Switching user IDs....................................................................................388 Using sudo................................................................................................389 Prefixing commands with sudo.................................................... 389 Appendix B Plug-in Options 391 How to set plug-in options........................................................................392 Backup options......................................................................................... 392 Restore options........................................................................................ 395 Glossary 10 EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide 399 FIGURES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Avamar server nodes, stripes, and objects..................................................................22 Avamar server functional block diagram..................................................................... 24 Avamar client agent and plug-ins................................................................................26 Data deduplication......................................................................................................30 Avamar Administrator dashboard................................................................................40 Avamar Administrator status bar................................................................................ 46 Navigation tree features............................................................................................. 49 Avamar domain example............................................................................................. 52 Users in Avamar domains............................................................................................68 Schedule start time, end time, and duration.............................................................. 104 Default backup and maintenance windows................................................................ 169 Multi-node server configuration with NAT................................................................ 184 Replication domain structure example...................................................................... 244 View after uploading the example CSV file............................................................... 325 Replaceable graphics on the Avamar client web UI................................................... 358 EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide 11 FIGURES 12 EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide TABLES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 Revision history........................................................................................................... 17 Typographical conventions..........................................................................................18 MCS functions............................................................................................................24 Supported plug-ins..................................................................................................... 26 Avamar system management features of Backup & Recovery Manager..................... 27 Dashboard launcher buttons.......................................................................................40 System State fields on the Avamar Administrator dashboard......................................41 Backup job fields in the Avamar Administrator dashboard...........................................44 System alerts in the Critical Events panel...................................................................45 Launcher shortcut icons on the status bar..................................................................46 Scheduler and backup dispatching status messages................................................... 47 Status messages for unacknowledged events............................................................ 48 Operational status messages for Avamar or Data Domain...........................................48 Attributes for each entry in a clients definition file..................................................... 56 Client properties displayed by Avamar Administrator..................................................62 Avamar user account information............................................................................... 68 Supported directory service types..............................................................................70 Required Key Distribution Center ports...................................................................... 72 Parameter requirements for LDAP base functionality................................................. 75 Additional parameter for LDAP base functionality ......................................................76 OpenLDAP directory service parameters....................................................................80 Error messages during directory service configuration'.............................................. 83 Administrator roles..................................................................................................... 88 Operator roles............................................................................................................ 88 User roles................................................................................................................... 90 Directories excluded from Default Dataset backups .................................................. 99 Directories excluded from Unix Dataset backups ..................................................... 100 Directories excluded from Windows Dataset backups .............................................. 100 Schedule types..........................................................................................................103 Schedule catalog.......................................................................................................105 Settings for each type of schedule............................................................................106 Basic retention settings............................................................................................. 112 Retention policy catalog............................................................................................ 113 VMware groups..........................................................................................................118 Backup statistics dialog box information.................................................................... 131 Target locations for system recovery backups of an Oracle Solaris client................. 155 Session Monitor tab properties................................................................................. 163 Avamar server maintenance activities....................................................................... 169 Checkpoint states...................................................................................................... 171 Services Administration tab information....................................................................178 Default live file directory for MCS configuration files................................................180 MCS backup timestamp files..................................................................................... 181 Solutions for common NAT problems........................................................................ 185 Read-only fields on the View/Edit Contact Information dialog box........................... 186 Editable fields on the View/Edit Contact Information dialog box...............................186 System monitoring tools and tasks............................................................................188 Session details available in the Activity Monitor ....................................................... 189 Client details available in the Activity Monitor........................................................... 189 Policy details available in the Activity Monitor...........................................................190 Node details on the Avamar tab of the Server Monitor.............................................. 191 CPU details on the Avamar tab of the Server Monitor.............................................. 192 Network details on the Avamar tab of the Server Monitor........................................ 192 Disk details on the Avamar tab of the Server Monitor............................................... 193 EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide 13 TABLES 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 14 Node details on the Data Domain tab of the Server Monitor..................................... 193 CPU details on the Data Domain tab of the Server Monitor...................................... 193 Disk (KB/S) details on the Data Domain tab of the Server Monitor...........................194 Network (KB/S) details on the Data Domain tab of the Server Monitor....................194 Data display based on selections on the Server Management tab............................. 195 Bytes Protected Summary properties on the Server Management tab..................... 195 Server Details on the Server Management tab..........................................................195 Maintenance Activities Details on the Server Management tab.................................197 Garbage Collection Details on the Server Management tab.......................................197 Module properties on the Server Management tab .................................................. 198 Status indicators on the Node Information part of Server Management................... 198 Server details on the Node Information part of Server Management........................ 199 OS details on the Node Information part of Server Management............................. 200 Hardware details on the Node Information part of Server Management....................201 Status indicators on the Partition Information part of Server Management.............. 201 Server Details on the Node Information part of Server Management....................... 202 Data Domain system properties on the Server Management tab.............................. 203 Event information..................................................................................................... 206 Example of a batch email notification message.........................................................206 Mappings of syslog fields to Avamar event data........................................................217 Locations for the Avamar MIB definition file............................................................. 223 Capacity limits and thresholds ................................................................................. 236 Capacity settings in mcserver.xml............................................................................ 238 Replicas at Source features available through the source Avamar server................. 244 Descriptions of the integration of Replicas at Source into Avamar tasks.................. 245 Replication configurations for Avamar replication using DD Boost............................ 247 Account options for the avrepl command................................................................. 258 Logging options for the avrepl command..................................................................259 Replication options for the avrepl command.............................................................260 Avamar-only advanced options for the avrepl command...........................................263 Numeric plug-in descriptors..................................................................................... 266 Required options for the avrepl command................................................................ 269 MCS configuration parameters to support Replicas at Source..................................273 Information on the Repository tab............................................................................ 284 Information on the History tab..................................................................................286 Details on the History tab......................................................................................... 287 Installation requirements for the legacy Avamar Downloader Service.......................288 Avamar Downloader Service monitor status messages ............................................ 293 Avamar Client Manager configuration properties..................................................... 300 Characters not allowed in search strings.................................................................. 305 Columns used in the Server Summary section...........................................................312 Server information on the Server panel..................................................................... 314 Settings on the Advanced tab of Client Details......................................................... 319 Relationship states during client activation...............................................................326 Failed client filters..................................................................................................... 331 Task types on the Queues page................................................................................ 336 Task types on the Logs page.................................................................................... 337 Avamar Desktop/Laptop hardware requirements..................................................... 344 Supported web browsers forAvamar Desktop/Laptop..............................................345 Environment variables for launching a web browser in Avamar Desktop/Laptop...... 345 Avamar Desktop/Laptop network requirements....................................................... 345 Push install launch command arguments.................................................................. 347 Avamar Desktop/Laptop client UI functionality........................................................ 354 Avamar Desktop/Laptop web UI functionality.......................................................... 355 Descriptions of methods for starting an Avamar Desktop/Laptop client backup....... 361 Datasets for single-click on-demand backups...........................................................363 EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide TABLES 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 Supported values for the restrictBackupsPerDay property.......................................364 Avamar Desktop/Laptop data restore filtering......................................................... 368 Requirements to restore from a different computer with Avamar Desktop/Laptop.. 369 Avamar Desktop/Laptop parameters.........................................................................371 Available client logs...................................................................................................373 Paths to logs on Windows computers ...................................................................... 373 Paths to logs on Linux and Mac computers ..............................................................373 Replication configurations for Avamar replication using DD Boost............................379 Data Domain system requirements........................................................................... 380 Backup plug-in options............................................................................................. 392 Backup plug-in options for (NetWare only) SMS Authentication..............................393 Backup plug-in options for logging........................................................................... 393 Backup plug-in options for file system traversal....................................................... 394 Backup plug-in options for pre-script....................................................................... 394 Backup plug-in options for post-script......................................................................394 Backup plug-in client cache options......................................................................... 395 Backup plug-in advanced options ............................................................................ 395 Restore plug-in options............................................................................................ 396 Restore plug-in options for (NetWare only) SMS Authentication............................. 396 Restore plug-in options for logging...........................................................................396 Restore plug-in options for pre-script.......................................................................397 Restore plug-in options for post-script..................................................................... 397 Restore plug-in client cache options......................................................................... 397 Restore plug-in advanced options.............................................................................398 EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide 15 TABLES 16 EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide PREFACE As part of an effort to improve its product lines, EMC periodically releases revisions of its software and hardware. Some versions of the software or hardware currently in use do not support every function that this document describes. The product release notes provide the most up-to-date information on product features. If a product does not function correctly or does not function as described in this document contact an EMC technical support professional. Note This document was accurate at publication time. Go to EMC Online Support (https:// support.EMC.com) to find the latest version of this document. Purpose This guide describes how to configure, administer, monitor, and maintain the Avamar system. Audience The information in this guide is primarily intended for system administrators who are responsible for maintaining servers and clients on a network, as well as operators who monitor daily backups and storage devices. Revision history The following table presents the revision history of this document. Table 1 Revision history Revision Date Description 01 December, 2016 DA release of Avamar 7.4. 02 March, 2017 GA release of Avamar 7.4 Service Pack 1 Related documentation The following EMC publications provide additional information: l EMC Avamar Compatibility and Interoperability Matrix l EMC Avamar Release Notes l EMC Avamar Operational Best Practices Guide l EMC Avamar and EMC Data Domain System Integration Guide l EMC Avamar Reports Guide l All EMC Avamar client and plug-in user guides EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide 17 PREFACE Special notice conventions used in this document EMC uses the following conventions to alert the reader to particular information. NOTICE The Notice convention emphasizes important information about the current topic. Note The Note convention addresses specific information that is related to the current topic. Typographical conventions In this document, EMC uses the typographical conventions that are shown in the following table. Table 2 Typographical conventions 18 Convention Example Description Bold typeface Click More Options. Use for names of interface elements, such as names of windows, dialog boxes, buttons, fields, tab names, key names, and menu paths (what a user specifically selects or clicks). Italic typeface EMC Avamar Administration Guide Use for full titles of publications that are referenced in text. Monospace font Event Type = INFORMATION Event Severity = OK Event Summary = New group created Use for: l System code l System output, such as an error message or script l Pathnames, file names, prompts, and syntax l Commands and options Monospace font with italic typeface Type Avamar_server, where Avamar_server is the DNS name or IP address of the Avamar server. Use for variables. Monospace font with bold typeface Type yes. Use for user input. Square brackets [--domain=String(/)] --name=String Square brackets enclose optional values. Vertical bar [--domain=String(/)] | Vertical bar indicates --name=String alternate selections - the bar means “or”. EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide PREFACE Table 2 Typographical conventions (continued) Convention Example Description Braces {[--domain=String(/)] | --name=String} Braces enclose content that the user must specify. Ellipses valid hfs ... Ellipses indicate nonessential information that is omitted from the example. Where to get help The Avamar support page provides access to licensing information, product documentation, advisories, and downloads, as well as how-to and troubleshooting information. This information may enable you to resolve a product issue before you contact EMC Customer Support. To access the Avamar support page: 1. Go to https://support.EMC.com/products. 2. Type a product name in the Find a Product box. 3. Select the product from the list that appears. 4. Click the arrow next to the Find a Product box. 5. (Optional) Add the product to the My Products list by clicking Add to my products in the upper right corner of the Support by Product page. Documentation The Avamar product documentation provides a comprehensive set of feature overview, operational task, and technical reference information. Review the following documents to supplement the information in product administration and user guides: l Release notes provide an overview of new features and known limitations for a release. l Technical notes provide technical details about specific product features, including step-by-step tasks, where necessary. l White papers provide an in-depth technical perspective of a product or products as applied to critical business issues or requirements. Knowledgebase The EMC Knowledgebase contains applicable solutions that you can search for either by solution number (for example, esgxxxxxx) or by keyword. To search the EMC Knowledgebase: 1. Click Search at the top of the page. 2. Type either the solution number or keywords in the search box. 3. (Optional) Limit the search to specific products by typing a product name in the Scope by product box and then selecting the product from the list that appears. 4. Select Knowledgebase from the Scope by resource list. 5. (Optional) Specify advanced options by clicking Advanced options and specifying values in the available fields. 6. Click Search. EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide 19 PREFACE Online communities Go to EMC Community Network at http://community.EMC.com for peer contacts, conversations, and content on product support and solutions. Interactively engage online with customers, partners, and certified professionals for all EMC products. Live chat To engage EMC Customer Support by using live interactive chat, click Join Live Chat on the Service Center panel of the Avamar support page. Service Requests For in-depth help from EMC Customer Support, submit a service request by clicking Create Service Requests on the Service Center panel of the Avamar support page. Note To open a service request, you must have a valid support agreement. Contact an EMC sales representative for details about obtaining a valid support agreement or with questions about an account. To review an open service request, click the Service Center link on the Service Center panel, and then click View and manage service requests. Enhancing support EMC recommends that you enable ConnectEMC and Email Home on all Avamar systems: l ConnectEMC automatically generates service requests for high priority events. l Email Home sends configuration, capacity, and general system information to EMC Customer Support. Comments and suggestions Comments and suggestions help EMC to continue to improve the accuracy, organization, and overall quality of the user publications. Send comments and suggestions about this document to [email protected]. Please include the following information: 20 l Product name and version l Document name, part number, and revision (for example, 01) l Page numbers l Other details to help address documentation issues EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide CHAPTER 1 Introduction This chapter includes the following topics: l l l EMC Avamar system overview...........................................................................22 Data deduplication............................................................................................. 30 Security and networking.................................................................................... 30 Introduction 21 Introduction EMC Avamar system overview An EMC® Avamar® system is a client/server network backup and restore solution. An Avamar system consists of one or more Avamar servers and the network servers or desktop clients that back up data to those servers. The Avamar system provides centralized management through the Avamar Administrator graphical management console software application. Avamar server Avamar is a hard disk based IP network backup and restore solution. Avamar servers use internal hard disk storage. An Avamar server is a logical grouping of one or more nodes that is used to store and manage client backups. Hardware manufacturers typically call their equipment servers (for instance, the Dell PowerEdge 2950 server). In the context of an Avamar system, this equipment is called a node. An Avamar node is a self-contained, rack-mountable, network-addressable computer that runs Avamar server software on the Linux operating system. Avamar ensures fault tolerance by managing disk drive space in units of space called stripes. In the Avamar system, an object is a single instance of deduplicated data. Each Avamar object inherently has a unique ID. Objects are stored and managed within stripes on the Avamar server. Figure 1 Avamar server nodes, stripes, and objects 1. Avamar server. 2. Avamar node. 3. Disk drive storage on the node. 4. Stripe on the disk drive. 5. Object on the stripe. 22 EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide Introduction All Avamar servers store client backups and also provide essential processes and services that are required for client access and remote system administration. Avamar servers are available in either single-node or scalable multi-node configurations. For the most part, when using Avamar Administrator management console software, all Avamar servers look and behave the same. The main differences among Avamar server configurations are the number of nodes and disk drives reported in the server monitor. Documenting specific differences in Avamar server hardware configurations is beyond the scope of this guide. Whenever specific limitations and best practices for certain configurations are known, they are noted. However, these occasional notes should not be considered definitive or exhaustive. Consult an EMC sales representative or an EMC reseller for more information about specific hardware. Nodes The primary building block in any Avamar server is a node. Each node is a selfcontained, rack-mountable, network-addressable computer that runs Avamar server software on the Linux operating system. Nodes can also contain internal storage in the form of hard disk drives. If the node is configured with internal storage (that is, a single-node server), it is internally mirrored to provide robust fault tolerance. There are three types of nodes. Utility node A utility node is dedicated to scheduling and managing background Avamar server jobs. In scalable multi-node Avamar servers, a single utility node provides essential internal services for the server: l Management Console Server (MCS) l cronjob l External authentication l Network Time Protocol (NTP) l Web access Because utility nodes are dedicated to running these essential services on multi-node Avamar servers, they cannot be used to store backups. Single-node Avamar servers combine all of the features and functions of utility and storage nodes on a single node. Storage nodes Storage nodes are nodes that store backup data. Multiple storage nodes are configured with multi-node Avamar servers based upon performance and capacity requirements. You can add storage nodes to an Avamar server over time to expand performance with no downtime. Avamar clients connect directly with Avamar storage nodes. Client connections and data are load balanced across storage nodes. NDMP Accelerator An NDMP Accelerator node is a specialized node that uses NDMP to provide data protection for certain NAS devices, including the EMC Celerra® IP storage systems and Network Appliance filers. Avamar server functional blocks The major Avamar server functional blocks include the data server, Management Console Server (MCS), and the EM Tomcat server (EMT). The following figure Avamar server 23 Introduction illustrates the interaction of these components within the server and with other Avamar components. Figure 2 Avamar server functional block diagram Avamar server 01 Management Console Server (MCS) Client registry Data Server Avamar server 02 Account management Scheduler/ dispatcher Reporting EM Tomcat (EMT) PostgreSQL database Avamar server 04 Events Avamar backup client Avamar server 03 Avamar Administrator (management console) Avamar Client Manager Data server When performing a backup, restore, or validation, Avamar backup clients communicate directly with the data server. All scheduled backups are initiated by the MCS scheduler. Management Console Server (MCS) The Management Console Server (MCS) provides centralized administration (scheduling, monitoring, and management) for the Avamar server. The MCS also runs the server-side processes used by the Avamar Administrator graphical management console. The following table provides details on the functions that the MCS provides. Table 3 MCS functions 24 Function Description Client registry Controls client registration and activation. Account management Used to create and manage domains, clients, users, and groups. Reporting Used to create and export system reports. The EMC Avamar Reports Guide provides more information. Events Displays system events and activities. EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide Introduction Table 3 MCS functions (continued) Function Description Scheduler/dispatcher Controls when backup and restore operations occur, or if the operations can be queued for processing. PostgreSQL database Stores Avamar server data. PostgreSQL is an open architecture database management system. Information in the MCS database is accessible through any PostgreSQLcompliant ODBC interface. The MCS database filename is mcdb, and it is located on the utility node in the /usr/local/ avamar/var/mc/server_data/ postgres directory. The MCS database contents are fully backed up on the Avamar server and can be restored if the MCS fails. NOTICE The MCS database is intended for read-only access for reporting or query purposes. Do not manually modify any data in mcdb tables unless instructed to do so by EMC Customer Support. Directly modifying MCS operational data can cause loss of referential integrity, which could result in irretrievable loss of data. EM Tomcat server (EMT) The Avamar EM Tomcat server (EMT) provides essential services that are required to display, and work with, Avamar server information. The EMT also communicates directly with MCS. This communication is a required part of all Avamar systems. Avamar server 25 Introduction Avamar clients Avamar provides client software for various computing platforms. Each client comprises a client agent and one or more plug-ins. Figure 3 Avamar client agent and plug-ins Avamar client File system plug-in Application plug-in Avamar server Management Console Server (MCS) Agent Agents Avamar agents are platform-specific software processes that run on the client and communicate with the Management Console Server (MCS) and any plug-ins installed on that client. Plug-ins There are two types of Avamar plug-ins: l File system plug-ins are used to browse, back up, and restore files or directories on a specific client file system. l Application plug-ins support backup and restore of databases or other special applications. The following table lists the file system and application plug-ins that Avamar supports. Table 4 Supported plug-ins Type of plug-in File system 26 EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide Supported file systems and applications l Free BSD l HP-UX l IBM AIX l Linux l Mac OS X l Microsoft Windows l Microsoft Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) l SCO Open Server l SCO UnixWare l Oracle Solaris Introduction Table 4 Supported plug-ins (continued) Type of plug-in Application Supported file systems and applications l VMware l IBM DB2 l Lotus Domino l Microsoft Exchange l Microsoft Hyper-V l Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) l Microsoft SQL Server l NDMP for NAS devices, including EMC Celerra IP storage systems and Network Appliance filers l Oracle l SAP with Oracle l Sybase ASE Client compatibility requirements are available in the EMC Avamar Compatibility and Interoperability Matrix on EMC Online Support at https://support.EMC.com. The requirements in the matrix include supported operating systems and application versions. The Avamar file system client and the plug-ins that you install on the host must have the same version number. User interfaces Several user interfaces are available in the Avamar system to enable management and monitoring. Avamar Administrator Avamar Administrator is a graphical management console software application that is used to administer an Avamar system from a supported Windows client computer. EMC Backup & Recovery Manager Backup & Recovery Manager manages all Avamar systems in the enterprise. Backup & Recovery Manager also has an integrated user interface to manage the enterprise’s NetWorker servers and Data Domain backup targets. The following table lists some of the enterprise management capabilities of Backup & Recovery Manager. The table does not include additional features in Backup & Recovery Manager that are specific to NetWorker servers and to Data Domain backup targets. Table 5 Avamar system management features of Backup & Recovery Manager Feature Backup & Recovery Manager Software host VMware vSphere client User interfaces 27 Introduction Table 5 Avamar system management features of Backup & Recovery Manager (continued) Feature Backup & Recovery Manager At-a-glance dashboard Select between consolidated and individual status views of Avamar systems, NetWorker servers, and Data Domain systems Detailed backup and capacity information for Avamar systems Yes Monitor backups Yes, through an Activity Monitor screen. Use the Activity Monitor screen to view backup and replication details, and to start, stop, and restart tasks. Replication management Yes Launch other management applications l Avamar Administrator l Avamar Client Manager l Avamar Installation Manager l AvInstaller service Display warnings, errors, and system alerts Management reports: select, view, and export Yes, in a quick-look graphical display and in detailed text. Filter the view by product, system, and category. l Backup l System l Configuration The Backup & Recovery Manager product documentation provides complete details on the user interface. Avamar Client Manager Avamar Client Manager is a web-based management application that provides centralized Avamar client administration capabilities for larger businesses and enterprises. Avamar Client Manager helps with the management of large numbers of Avamar clients. Avamar Client Manager works with Avamar clients on a supported native operating system and Avamar clients on a supported operating system running in a VMware virtual machine. Avamar Client Manager cannot work with Avamar clients through virtual center, virtual machine, or virtual proxy configurations. The Avamar Client Manager UI displays supported Avamar clients and hides all unsupported clients. Avamar Desktop/Laptop Avamar Desktop/Laptop is a version of the Avamar client software that adds enhanced features for enterprise desktop and laptop computers. The Avamar Desktop/Laptop features are designed to improve the functionality of Avamar client for Windows and Macintosh desktops and laptops. Many of the features are also supported on qualifying Linux computers. Avamar Desktop/Laptop functionality is available through two user interfaces: l 28 The client local user interface (client UI) is installed on the client computer when you install either the Avamar Client for Windows or the Avamar Client for Mac OS EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide Introduction X. With the client UI, an Avamar icon appears in the notification area ("system tray") on Windows computers or on the menu bar on Mac computers. Right-click the icon on Windows or click the icon on Mac to open the client menu, which provides access to backup, restore, program settings, and logs. l Use the web browser user interface (web UI) to start an on-demand backup or restore, view backup and restore activity for a client computer, or configure other backup settings for a client computer. Avamar Installation Manager The Avamar Installation Manager user interface is part of the AvInstaller software that EMC Customer Support installs on the utility node during an Avamar server software installation or upgrade. Use the Avamar Installation Manager to install and upgrade software on the Avamar server. Avamar Downloader Service The Avamar Downloader Service manages the process of checking for and downloading Avamar server software updates. The Avamar Downloader Service software runs on a stand-alone Microsoft Windows server that allows network access to EMC sites on the Internet and to all Avamar servers at a site. Avamar Web Restore Avamar Web Restore provides access to the following functionality: l Search for or browse backed up directories and files to restore. l Download Avamar client software. l View Avamar product documentation that is stored on the Avamar server. l Open the Avamar Administrator management console software. Data Domain system support You can store backups on either the Avamar server or an EMC Data Domain® system. Backup metadata is stored on the Avamar server. Before you can store backups on a Data Domain system, you must add the Data Domain system to the Avamar configuration by using Avamar Administrator. Then you select the Data Domain system in the plug-in options when you perform an on-demand backup or when you create a dataset for a scheduled backup. You can also use the command line interface (CLI) to perform backups to a Data Domain system. The steps to restore backups are the same whether you restore from the Avamar server or a Data Domain system. The restore process determines the location of the backup and restores the backup. Beginning with Avamar 7.4, Data Domain Cloud Tier is also supported. DD Cloud Tier moves data from Data Domain to the cloud. From the Avamar Administrator, you can configure tiering to move Avamar backups from Data Domain to the cloud, and can perform seamless recovery of these backups. The EMC Avamar and EMC Data Domain System Integration Guide provides more information about Data Domain systems in an Avamar environment, including detailed steps to add a Data Domain system to the Avamar configuration. Data Domain system support 29 Introduction Data deduplication Data deduplication is a key feature of the Avamar system. Data deduplication ensures that each unique sub-file, variable length object is stored only once across sites and servers. During backups, Avamar client software examines the client file system and applies a data deduplication algorithm that identifies redundant data sequences and breaks the client file system into sub-file, variable length data segments. Each data segment is assigned a unique ID. The client software then determines whether this unique ID has already been stored on the Avamar server. If this object resides on the Avamar server, a link to the stored object is referenced in the backup. Once an object has been stored on the server, it is not sent over the network again, no matter how many times it is encountered on any number of clients. This feature significantly reduces network traffic and provides for greatly enhanced storage efficiency on the server. Figure 4 Data deduplication 1. Break data into atoms (variable length segments of file data). 2. Send and store each atom only once. 3. Up to 500 times daily data reduction in the Avamar backup repository. Security and networking The following sections provide an overview of key Avamar security and networking features. The EMC Avamar Product Security Guide provides full details on product security and network configuration. Encryption Avamar can encrypt all data sent between clients and the server “in flight.” To provide enhanced security during client/server data transfers, Avamar supports two levels of “in-flight” encryption: medium and high. 30 EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide Introduction You can set the encryption level on a client-by-client basis in client properties, or for an entire group of clients in group properties. You also can disable “in-flight” encryption entirely. Each individual Avamar server can also be configured to encrypt data stored on the server “at rest.” The decision to encrypt all data stored in an Avamar server is typically a one-time decision that is made when the server is initially deployed at a customer site. IPv4 and IPv6 support Internet Protocol (IP) is a set of communication rules for routing traffic across networks to addressable devices like Avamar system components. The Avamar system supports both Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) and IPv6 address notation. IPv4 notation IPv4 notation is displayed as four octets, that is 1- to 3-digit base 10 numbers in a range of 0 to 255. Each octet is separated by periods and represents 8 bits of data for a total address space of 32 bits. A subnet mask identifies a range (a subnet) of IP addresses on the same network. For Avamar purposes, the subnet mask is /24, representative of a 255.255.255.0 netmask. An example IPv4 address and subnet mask is10.99.99.99/24. IPv4 notation cannot be abbreviated. If an octet has zero (0) value, use a 0 in that octet. IPv6 notation IPv6 notation is displayed as 16 octets, that is 2-digit hexadecimal (base 16) numbers in a range of 00 to FF. IPv6 notation combines octets by pairs into eight groups that are separated by colons, each group representing 16 bits of data for a total address space of 128 bits. For Avamar purposes, the subnet mask (called prefix in IPv6) is /64. An example IPv6 address and prefix is 2001:0db8:85a3:0042:1000:8a2e: 0370:7334/64. As for a group with zero (0) value, IPv6 notation is different from IPv4 in that it can be abbreviated. For example, the following is a valid IPv6 address and prefix: 2001:db8:abcd:0012::0/64. Avamar IP configurations In the Avamar user interface, an IP address may be displayed in either IPv4 or IPv6 notation. The displayed value depends on how that particular component was configured when the hardware and software were installed. IPv4 and IPv6 are not interoperable. They operate in separate stacks (that is, parallel, independent networks). Avamar can be set up in a dual stack configuration. In that case, each Avamar component may have an IPv4 address, an IPv6 address, or both (one primary and the other secondary). The Avamar user interface may display a component's primary address or both dual stack addresses. For example, the following IP address for a particular device indicates that it is configured as dual stack: 10.99.99.99/24,2001:db8:abcd:0012::0/64. IPv4 and IPv6 support 31 Introduction 32 EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide CHAPTER 2 Avamar Administrator This chapter includes the following topics: l l l l l l l l l Overview of Avamar Administrator.....................................................................34 Installing Avamar Administrator..........................................................................34 Upgrading Avamar Administrator....................................................................... 36 Uninstalling Avamar Administrator..................................................................... 37 Editing Avamar Administrator client preferences............................................... 37 Setting a session time-out for Avamar Administrator......................................... 37 Starting Avamar Administrator...........................................................................38 Avamar Administrator dashboard....................................................................... 39 Avamar Administrator user interface elements...................................................46 Avamar Administrator 33 Avamar Administrator Overview of Avamar Administrator Avamar Administrator is a graphical management console software application that is used to administer an Avamar system from a supported Windows or Linux client computer. Install Avamar Administrator on a supported computer and launch the software from the desktop icon or a command shell, or launch the Java Web Start version of the console software from a web browser or from Backup & Recovery Manager. Avamar Administrator is the primary user interface for monitoring and configuring the Avamar system. Use it to monitor backup, restore, and system maintenance activities, as well as to configure backup policies, manage clients and user accounts, and configure other system settings. You can administer one Avamar system at a time from Avamar Administrator. The Avamar Administrator dashboard appears when you log in to Avamar Administrator. The dashboard provides an at-a-glance view of Avamar system status, as well as access to all functionality through menus and launcher buttons. Installing Avamar Administrator You can install Avamar Administrator on supported Microsoft Windows and 64-bit Linux platforms. Details on support for specific operating system versions is available in the EMC Avamar Compatibility and Interoperability Matrix on EMC Online Support at https:// support.EMC.com. Note Before installing Avamar Administrator, ensure the platform has already been manually upgraded to Java 7 or 8. Installing Avamar Administrator on Microsoft Windows Procedure 1. Log in to the computer on which you are installing Avamar Administrator. 2. Open a web browser and type the following URL: http://Avamar_server/dtlt/home.html where Avamar_server is the DNS name or IP address of the Avamar server. The EMC Avamar Web Restore page appears. 3. Click Downloads. 4. Do one of the following, depending on the operating system: l If you are installing the software on 32-bit Windows, click + next to the Windows (32 bit) folder. l If you are installing the software on 64-bit Windows, click + next to the Windows (64 bit) folder. 5. Do one of the following, depending on the operating system: 34 EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide Avamar Administrator l If you are installing the software on 32-bit Windows, click + next to the Microsoft Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, Microsoft Windows Server 2008 (Console) folder. l If you are installing the software on 64-bit Windows, click + next to the Microsoft Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, Microsoft Windows Server 2008, 2008 R2, 2012, 2012 R2 (Console) folder. 6. Locate the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) install package, which is typically the last entry in the folder. 7. If the JRE on the client computer is older than the JRE hosted on the Avamar server, download and install the newer JRE from the Avamar server: a. Click the jre-version.exe install package, where version is the JRE version. b. Open the installation file, or download the file and then open it from the saved location. c. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the JRE installation. 8. Click the AvamarConsoleMultiple-windows-version.exe install package, where version is the Avamar Administrator software version. 9. Open the installation file, or download the file and then open it from the saved location. 10. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the Avamar Administrator software installation. Installing Avamar Administrator on Linux Procedure 1. Log in to the computer on which you are installing Avamar Administrator. 2. Open a web browser and type the following URL: http://Avamar_server/dtlt/home.html where Avamar_server is the DNS name or IP address of the Avamar server. The EMC Avamar Web Restore page appears. 3. Click Downloads. 4. Click + next to the Linux for x86 (64 bit) folder. 5. Click + next to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 (Console) folder. Note Use the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 install packages for all supported Linux versions. 6. Locate the JRE RPM install package, which is typically the last entry in the folder. 7. If the JRE on the client computer is older than the JRE hosted on the Avamar server, then download the install package to a temporary folder such as /tmp. The install package filename is jre-version-platform.rpm, where version is the JRE version and platform is the computing platform. Installing Avamar Administrator on Linux 35 Avamar Administrator 8. Download the AvamarConsole-linux-rhel5-x86_64-version.rpm install package to a temporary install folder such as /tmp. 9. Open a command shell and log in as root on the computer where the software will be installed. 10. Change directory to the temporary folder to which you downloaded the install packages by typing a command such as cd /tmp. 11. If you downloaded a JRE, install it by typing rpm -ivh jre-versionplatform.rpm. 12. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the JRE installation. 13. Install Avamar Administrator by typing rpm -ih AvamarConsole-linuxrhel5-x86_64-version.rpm The install process prompts you to run avsetup_mcc to configure Avamar Administrator. 14. Configure Avamar Administrator by typing /usr/local/avamar/version/bin/ avsetup_mcc. The configuration process prompts you to specify the location of the JRE installation. 15. Press Enter to accept the default install location. The configuration process prompts you to specify the root directory of the Avamar software. 16. Press Enter to accept the default install location. A confirmation message appears. Upgrading Avamar Administrator You can upgrade Avamar Administrator on either Microsoft Windows or Linux computers. Procedure l You can install multiple versions of Avamar Administrator on the same Microsoft Windows computer. If you install Avamar Administrator on a computer where it is already installed, select a destination folder carefully during the installation procedure: n To keep an older version, select a different installation folder. n To directly upgrade the Avamar Administrator installation, select the same installation folder. The two versions are identified by their full version numbers. Note Before installing/upgrading Avamar Administrator, ensure the platform has already been manually upgraded to Java 7 or 8. l 36 To upgrade the Avamar Administrator software on the Linux platform, uninstall the previous version and install the new software. Use of the Linux software upgrade command (rpm -Uh) is not supported. EMC Avamar 7.4 and Service Packs Administration Guide Avamar Administrator Note Before installing the new version of Avamar Administrator, ensure the platform has already been manually upgraded to Java 7 or 8. Uninstalling Avamar Administrator You can uninstall Avamar Administrator from either a Microsoft Windows or a Linux computer. Before you begin Close any open Avamar Administrator sessions. Otherwise, the uninstall process may not complete successfully, which can complicate future installation of Avamar Administrator. Procedure l On a Microsoft Windows computer, open the Windows Start menu and select Programs > EMC Avamar > Administrator > version > Uninstall, and then click OK on the confirmation message. l On a Linux computer: a. Open a command shell and log in as root. b. Determine the package name by typing rpm -qa | grep Av. c. Type rpm -e AvamarConsole-version, where AvamarConsole-version is the Avamar Administrator install package. Editing Avamar Administrator client preferences You can edit some Avamar Administrator client preferences directly in Avamar Administrator. However, a number of preferences are only available for editing in the mcclient.xml client preferences file. Procedure 1. Close Avamar Administrator. 2. Open install_dir/var/mc/gui_data/prefs/mcclient.xml in a text editor, where install_dir is the Avamar Administrator installation directory. 3. Edit the preference elements. 4. Save and close the file. The changes take effect the next time that you start Avamar Administrator. Setting a session time-out for Avamar Administrator An Avamar Administrator session remains active until a user closes the application by choosing Exit from the menu. To protect the assets available through Avamar Administrator, set a session time-out value. The value applies to all Avamar Administrator sessions connected to the Avamar server. After you set a session time-out value, Avamar Administrator monitors the UI for activity. When Avamar Administrator detects no mouse or keyboard activity within the UI for the number of minutes set in the time-out value, it shuts down all processes, closes all windows, and displays the Inactive dialog box. Uninstalling Avamar Administrator 37 Avamar Administrator Procedure 1. Open a command shell and log in by using one of the following methods: l For a single-node server, log in to the server as admin. l For a multi-node server: a. Log in to the utility node as admin. b. Load the admin OpenSSH key by typing: ssh-agent bash ssh-add ~admin/.ssh/admin_key 2. Stop the Management Console Server (mcs) service by typing dpnctl stop mcs. 3. Change the working directory to /usr/local/avamar/var/mc/ server_data/prefs by typing cd /usr/local/avamar/var/mc/ server_data/prefs. 4. Open mcserver.xml in a plain text editor. 5. Find the d. From the Facility list, select one of the following: user, local0, local1, local2, local3, local4, local5, local6, or local7. e. To test the syslog notification parameters, click Send Test Syslog Entry. 21. Click Next. The SNMP Trap Notification page appears. 22. If the profile includes SNMP notification messages, then specify SNMP notification parameters: a. In the SNMP Trap address (IP or hostname) box, type the IP address or hostname of the computer running an application that is capable of receiving and processing an SNMP trap. b. In the Port Number box, type the port number on the host machine that is listening for SNMP traps. The default data port is 162. c. In the SNMP Community box, type the name of the SNMP community that the SNMP trap listener is configured to use. The SNMP community is a text string that the local Net-SNMP agent uses to authenticate itself with the SNMP management application. d. To test the SNMP notification parameters, click Send Test SNMP Trap. 23. Click Finish.
Editing a custom event profile After you create a custom event profile for notifications of specific system events, you can edit any of the properties of the profile. You cannot view system events and profiles outside the domain that you are logged in to. This affects the profiles that you can edit and the events that you can add to a profile. Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, select Tools > Manage Profiles. The Manage All Profiles window appears. 212
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2. In the left pane, select the custom event profile and click Edit. The Edit Profile dialog box appears. 3. Edit the custom event profile. The properties are the same as when you create the profile. 4. Click OK.
Copying a custom event profile You can create a custom event profile with the same properties as a profile that you already created by copying the profile. You can copy the profile to the same domain or to a different domain. Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, select Tools > Manage Profiles. The Manage All Profiles window appears. 2. In the left pane, select the profile and click Copy. The Save As dialog box appears. 3. Type a name for the new custom event profile in the Save As box. 4. (Optional) To copy the new custom event profile to a different domain, click the ... button, browse to the new domain, and then click OK. 5. Click OK.
Testing custom event profile notifications You can test custom event profile notification mechanisms by sending a short email message or writing a short message to the syslog file. Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, select Tools > Manage Profiles. The Manage All Profiles window appears. 2. In the left pane, select the custom event profile and click Edit. The Edit Profile dialog box appears. 3. Test the custom event profile: l
To send a test email message, select the Email Notification tab and click Send Email.
l
To write a test message to the syslog file, select the Syslog Notification tab and click Send Test Syslog Entry.
l
To send a test SNMP trap message, select the SNMP Trap Notification tab and click Send Test SNMP Trap.
If the test message is successfully sent, a confirmation message appears. 4. Click OK. 5. Click OK to close the Edit Profile dialog box.
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Enabling and disabling a custom event profile When you disable an event profile, no email notifications are sent until you reenable the profile. You can disable any profile except the system events profile. Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, select Tools > Manage Profiles. The Manage All Profiles window appears. 2. In the left pane, select the event profile. 3. Click Disable to disable the event profile, or Enable to enable the event profile.
Deleting a custom event profile You can permanently delete any custom event profile except the system events profile. Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, select Tools > Manage Profiles. The Manage All Profiles window appears. 2. Select the event profile and click Delete. A confirmation message appears. 3. Click Yes.
Viewing events in the Event Monitor Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Administration launcher button. The Administration window appears. 2. Click the Event Management tab. 3. Click the Event Monitor tab near the bottom of the window. The Avamar Administrator online help provides details on each of the columns in the Event Monitor. 4. Select the display mode for the Event Monitor: l
Select Query to display the most recent 5,000 system events for a defined range of dates.
l
Select Monitor to display the most recent 5,000 system events during the past 24 hours.
5. (Optional) Filter the events that appear in the Event Monitor: a. Open the Actions menu and select Event Management > Filter. The Filter dialog box appears. b. If you selected the Query display mode for the Event Monitor, select the range of dates for the events to display by using the From Date and To Date fields. c. From the Category list, select the category of events to display. d. From the Type list, select the type of events to display.
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e. From the Severity list, select the severity of the events to display. f. To view events for all domains, select All Domains. Or, to view events for a specific domain, select Domain and then browse to or type the domain name. g. To display only events that contain certain case-sensitive keywords in the event code data XML element, type the keyword in the Data box. This criterion promotes easy filtering on important keywords across event attributes. For example, filtering the Event Monitor on error returns all events that contain the word error in any XML attribute (for example, category, type, or severity). h. Choose whether to display events from all sources, from only the Avamar server, from all Data Domain systems, or from a single Data Domain system: l
To view events from all sources, leave the default selection of All Sources in the Source list.
l
To view events from only the Avamar server, select Avamar from the Source list.
l
To view events from all Data Domain systems, select Data Domain Systems from the Source list and leave the default selection of All Systems.
l
To view events from a single Data Domain system, select Data Domain Systems from the Source list, select the System option, and then either type or browse to the Data Domain system.
i. Click More to view additional filtering criteria. j. To limit the Event Monitor to events with a certain event code, select Only include codes and then add and remove codes from the list. Or, to exclude events with a certain event code from the Event Monitor, select Exclude codes and then add and remove codes from the list. k. Click OK.
Viewing the event catalog A sequential listing of all event codes and summary information is available in /usr/ local/avamar/doc/event_catalog.txt on the Avamar server. You can also view event_catalog.txt by using a web browser. Procedure 1. Open a web browser and type the following URL: http://Avamar_server where Avamar_server is the DNS name or IP address of the Avamar server. The EMC Avamar Web Restore page appears. 2. Click Documentation. The Avamar Documentation page appears. 3. Click the plus icon next to Avamar Event Codes. 4. Click event_catalog.txt. The file opens in the web browser. Viewing the event catalog
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Acknowledging system events System events that are configured to require acknowledgment each time they occur, remain in the unacknowledged events list until they are explicitly cleared, or acknowledged, by an Avamar server administrator. Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Administration launcher button. The Administration window appears. 2. Click the Event Management tab. 3. Click the Unacknowledged Events tab near the bottom of the window. 4. Acknowledge the events: l
To acknowledge one or more events, select the event entries and select Actions > Event Management > Acknowledge Unacknowledged Events.
l
To acknowledge all events in the list, select Actions > Event Management > Clear All Alerts.
Customizing error events By default, Avamar software continually monitors /var/log/messages for any occurrence of the case-insensitive search string error. Any occurrences of error create an event code of the type ERROR. You can customize this default behavior. Procedure 1. Define additional case-insensitive search strings that also create Avamar ERROR events. 2. Add the search strings to /usr/local/avamar/var/mc/server_data/ adminlogpattern.xml.
Server monitoring with syslog The syslog system logging feature on UNIX and Linux systems collects system log messages and writes them to a designated log file. You can configure the Avamar server to send event information in syslog format. The Avamar server supports both syslog and syslog-ng implementations. Note
Persons configuring syslog monitoring of an Avamar server should be familiar with basic syslog concepts. A complete discussion of basic syslog concepts and implementation is beyond the scope of this guide. The www.syslog.org website provides additional information. At the operating system level, system monitoring and logging relies on the syslogd process to collect system log messages and write them to a designated log file. The syslogd process runs locally on every Avamar server node. However, without additional configuration, each node’s syslogd only collects system information for that node, and writes it to a local log file on that node. From a syslog perspective, each Avamar server node is unaware that any other server nodes exist. Also, the utility node syslogd process is not aware that the Avamar Management Console Server (MCS) is collecting and logging Avamar event information. 216
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You can configure an Avamar event profile to format Avamar server event messages in syslog format and send this data to the syslogd process running on the Avamar server utility node. The following table describes how an event profile maps Avamar server event data to syslog fields. Table 73 Mappings of syslog fields to Avamar event data
Field in syslog
Avamar event data
Facility
Either User or Local#, where # is a number from 0 to 7.
Priority
One of the following values, which are based on the Avamar event type: l
debug, if the Avamar event type is DEBUG
l
err, if the Avamar event type is ERROR
l
info, if the Avamar event type is INFO
l
none, if the Avamar event type is INTERNAL
l
warning, if the Avamar event type is WARNING
Date
Avamar event date.
Time
Avamar event time.
Hardware source
Avamar event hardware source.
Software source
Avamar event software source.
Message
The following fields from the Avamar event code: l
event code
l
category
l
summary
l
event data
Configuring local syslog The most basic way to implement Avamar server syslog monitoring is to configure the MCS to output Avamar event information to the local syslogd process running on the utility node. The local syslogd service merges the Avamar event information with the operating system messages in a single local log file. Procedure 1. Enable the Local Syslog event profile on the Avamar server: a. In Avamar Administrator, select Tools > Manage Profiles. b. Select the Local Syslog event profile in the left pane and click Enable.
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2. On single-node servers and utility nodes with SLES 11 or later, configure the local utility node syslogd process to listen for MCS event messages on UDP data port 514: a. Open a command shell and log in as admin on the single-node server or the utility node of a multi-node server. b. Switch user to root by typing su -. c. Open /etc/syslog-ng/syslog-ng.conf in a text editor. d. Locate the following entry: # # uncomment to process log messages from network: # # udp(ip("0.0.0.0") port(514)); e. Add the following entry, including the comment: # # uncomment to process log messages from MCS: # udp(ip("0.0.0.0") port(514)); f. Save and close the file. g. Restart the syslog process by typing the following command: service syslog restart
h. Verify that syslog is listening on port 514 by typing the following command: netstat -nap | grep 514
The following output appears in the command shell: udp 0 0 127.0.0.1:514 127.0.0.1:* 8043/syslog-ng
Configuring remote syslog Remote syslog monitoring involves configuring each server node to send syslog data to a remote logging host, and creating a custom syslog event profile that sends Avamar server event messages in syslog format to the remote logging host. EMC expects that sites implementing remote syslog monitoring of an Avamar server will in most cases already have a remote logging host configured and deployed. Many different syslog monitoring tools are available. Any syslog monitoring tool will generally work with Avamar as long as it is configured to listen for remote syslog messages over a LAN connection on UDP data port 514. NOTICE
For maximum security, EMC recommends implementing remote syslog monitoring. Procedure 1. Create a custom syslog event profile that sends Avamar server event messages in syslog format to the remote logging host. 2. Configure all server nodes to send syslog messages to the remote logging host.
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3. Configure the remote logging host to listen for syslog messages over a LAN connection on UDP data port 514. 4. If a firewall is enabled on the remote logging host, configure the firewall to allow UDP traffic on port 514 for a defined IP range.
Creating a custom syslog event profile Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, select Tools > Manage Profiles. The Manage All Profiles window appears. 2. Select the Local Syslog event profile in the left pane and click Copy. The Save As dialog box appears. 3. Type a name for the new custom event profile in the Save As field. 4. Leave the domain set to root (/). Custom syslog profiles must reside in the root domain. 5. Click OK. 6. In the Manage All Profiles dialog box, select the custom syslog event profile that you created and click Edit. The Edit Profile dialog box appears. 7. Select the Syslog Notification tab and specify syslog notification parameters: a. In the Address (IP or hostname) field, type the IP address or hostname of the remote logging host. b. In the Port Number field, leave the port number set to 514. c. Select the Include extended event data option to include extended event code information in the syslog message. The extended information is delimited by using the following tags: d. From the Facility list, select one of the following values: user, local0, local1, local2, local3, local4, local5, local6, or local7. 8. (Optional) To test the syslog notification parameters, click Send Test Syslog Entry. 9. Click OK.
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Configuring server nodes to send syslog messages to the remote logging server As part of the process to configure remote syslog, you must configure all Avamar server nodes to send syslog messages to a remote logging server over a LAN connection on UDP data port 514. Procedure 1. Open a command shell: a. Log in to the server as admin. b. Switch user to root by typing su -. c. For a multi-node server, load the rootid OpenSSH key by typing: ssh-agent bash ssh-add /root/.ssh/rootid
2. Open /etc/syslog-ng/syslog-ng.conf in a text editor. 3. Add the following entry: destination logserver {udp("ip_address" port(514)); }; log { source(src); destination(logserver); }; where ip_address is the IP address of the remote logging host. 4. Save and close the file. 5. Restart the syslog process by typing the following command: service syslog restart
6. On multi-node servers, repeat the previous steps for each node.
Configuring RHEL remote logging hosts running syslog Procedure 1. Open a command shell and log in to the remote logging host as root. 2. Open /etc/sysconfig/syslog in a text editor. 3. Locate the following entry: SYSLOGD_OPTIONS="-m 0" 4. Add the -r parameter to the entry: SYSLOGD_OPTIONS="-r -m 0" 5. Save and close the file. 6. Restart the syslogd process by typing the following command: service syslog restart
Configuring SLES remote logging hosts running syslog-ng Procedure 1. Open a command shell and log in to the remote logging host as root. 2. Open /etc/syslog-ng/syslog-ng.conf in a text editor. 3. Locate the following entry: 220
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# # uncomment to process log messages from network: # # udp(ip("0.0.0.0") port(514)); 4. Uncomment the entry: # # uncomment to process log messages from network: # udp(ip("0.0.0.0") port(514)); 5. Save and close the file. 6. Restart the syslog process by typing the following command: service syslog restart
7. Verify that syslog is listening on port 514 by typing the following command: netstat -nap | grep 514
The following output appears in the command shell: udp 0 0 0.0.0.0:514 0.0.0.0:* 8043/syslog-ng
Configuring the firewall on the remote logging host If a firewall is enabled on the remote logging host, configure the firewall to allow UDP traffic on port 514 for a defined IP range. Procedure 1. Restrict the source IP addresses of the remote log messages in iptables or another firewall to avoid Denial Of Service (DOS) attacks on the remote logging host. The following example rule for iptables would allow client system logs for an IP address range of Avamar server nodes: # Rules to allow remote logging for syslog(-ng) on the log HOST system iptables -A INPUT -p udp -s 192.168.1.0/24 --dport 514 -j ACCEPT where 192.168.1.0/24 is in the IP address range of the Avamar server nodes. The following example rule for iptables specifies the IP address for each Avamar server node on a single line and includes the Mac address of the Network Interface Card (NIC) for the node: iptables -A INPUT -p udp -s 192.168.1.12 -m mac --macsource 00:50:8D:FD:E6:32 --dport 514 -j ACCEPT iptables -A INPUT -p udp -s 192.168.1.13 -m mac --macsource 00:50:8D:FD:E6:33 --dport 514 -j ACCEPT iptables -A INPUT -p udp -s 192.168.1.14 -m mac --macsource 00:50:8D:FD:E6:34 --dport 514 -j ACCEPT iptables -A INPUT -p udp -s 192.168.1.15 -m mac --macsource 00:50:8D:FD:E6:35 --dport 514 -j ACCEPT ... No rules are necessary for the outgoing syslog traffic on the client side. Configuring remote syslog
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2. Restart the firewall service on the remote logging host for the changes to take effect. 3. Restart the syslog-ng service on all server nodes and the remote logging host for the changes to take effect: service syslog restart
Server monitoring with SNMP Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a protocol for communicating and monitoring event notification information between an application, hardware device, or software application and any number of monitoring applications or devices. Note
Persons configuring an Avamar server to send event information over SNMP should be familiar with basic SNMP concepts. A complete discussion of basic SNMP concepts and implementation is beyond the scope of this guide. The www.netsnmp.org website provides additional information. The Avamar SNMP implementation provides SNMP requests and SNMP traps to access Avamar server events and activity status. The Avamar server supports SNMP versions v1 and v2c. SNMP requests SNMP requests provide a mechanism for SNMP management applications to “pull” information from a remote SNMP-enabled application or device (in this case, the Avamar server). The SNMP management application sends a request to an SNMP master agent running on the Avamar server. The SNMP master agent then communicates with the Avamar SNMP sub-agent, which passes the request to the MCS. The MCS retrieves the data and sends it back to the Avamar SNMP sub-agent, which passes it back to the management application by way of the SNMP master agent. Data port 161 is the default data port for SNMP requests. Avamar servers that are purchased directly from EMC use the Net-SNMP master agent. Avamar servers that are built with other industry standard hardware likely use an SNMP master agent that is provided by the hardware manufacturer. SNMP traps SNMP traps provide a mechanism for the Avamar server to “push” information to SNMP management applications when designated Avamar events occur. Data port 162 is the default data port for SNMP traps. Typically, the SNMP management application listens for the SNMP traps that designated remote hosts generate.
Configuring server monitoring with SNMP Procedure 1. To enable an SNMP management application to monitor an Avamar server, load the Avamar Management Information Base (MIB) definition file (AVAMAR-MCSMIB.txt) into the master MIB used by the SNMP management application. The MIB contains definitions of the information that can be monitored or which traps are sent for each SNMP application or device. The following table provides the locations for the Avamar MIB definition file.
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Table 74 Locations for the Avamar MIB definition file
Computer type
MIB location
Single-node server
/usr/local/avamar/doc
Multi-node server
/usr/local/avamar/doc on the utility node
Computer with Avamar Administrator
install_dir/doc, where install_dir is typically: l
C:\Program Files\avs \administrator on Microsoft Windows computers
l
/usr/local/avamar on Linux computers
l
/opt/AVMRconsl on Solaris computers
A copy of the Avamar MIB definition file also resides in the /usr/share/ snmp/mibs directory on single-node servers and utility nodes. This copy is used by the Avamar SNMP sub-agent and should not be moved or distributed. 2. Install and configure an AgentX compliant master agent: l
If the Avamar server was purchased directly from EMC, the Net-SNMP master agent is already installed, but the Net-SNMP agent must be configured. Configuring the Net-SNMP agent on page 223 provides instructions.
l
If the Avamar server is built with other industry standard hardware, install and configure the AgentX compliant master agent that is provided by the hardware vendor.
3. Configure a custom event profile to output designated Avamar server events to an SNMP trap. Creating a custom event profile for an SNMP trap on page 225 provides instructions.
Configuring the Net-SNMP agent The avsetup_snmp command line utility configures the Net-SNMP agent to communicate with the Avamar server by using the Avamar SNMP sub-agent. Procedure 1. Open a command shell: a. Log in to the server as admin. b. Switch user to root by typing su -. c. For a multi-node server, load the rootid OpenSSH key by typing: ssh-agent bash ssh-add /root/.ssh/rootid
2. Type the following commands to launch the utility: cd /root avsetup_snmp Configuring server monitoring with SNMP
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The output prompts you to specify the port on which to listen for SNMP requests. 3. Specify the SNMP request data port: l
To use port 161, the default SNMP request data port, press Enter.
l
To use a different SNMP request data port, type the data port number and press Enter.
If avsetup_snmp was not able to detect any SNMP communities, the output prompts you to specify whether to allow SNMPv3 read-write user based access. 4. Type n and press Enter. The output prompts you to specify whether to allow SNMPv3 read-only user based access. 5. Type n and press Enter. The output prompts you to specify whether to allow SNMPv1/v2c read-write community access. 6. Type n and press Enter. The output prompts you to specify whether to allow SNMPv1/v2c read-only community access. 7. Press Enter to accept the default value of y. The output prompts you to specify the community name to which to add readonly access. The SNMP community is a text string that the local Net-SNMP agent uses to authenticate itself with the SNMP management application. 8. Type the SNMP community name and press Enter. The output prompts you to specify the hostname or network address from which to accept this community name. 9. Press Enter to accept the community name from all hostnames or network addresses. The output prompts you to specify the OID to which this community should be restricted. 10. Press Enter to specify no restriction. The output prompts you to specify whether to configure another community. 11. Type n and press Enter. The output indicates that /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf was created and run to configure the system_setup group. Then the output prompts you to specify the location of the system. 12. Type the physical location of the Avamar server and press Enter. The output prompts you to specify contact information. 13. Type contact information (for example, email address, telephone extension, and so forth) and press Enter. The output prompts you to specify whether to properly set the value of the sysServices.0 OID. 14. Type n and press Enter. The output indicates that /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf was installed and that snmpd was enabled. 224
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Creating a custom event profile for an SNMP trap As part of the process of configuring server monitoring with SNMP, create a custom event profile to output designated Avamar server events to an SNMP trap. The default Avamar configuration includes a Local SNMP Trap profile that outputs Avamar server event messages to the local Net-SNMP trap listener (snmptrapd process). However, you cannot edit the Local SNMP Trap profile. The profile is intended to be used for test purposes only, to verify that the local snmptrapd process can successfully generate and receive the traps. The process then writes the trap information to a syslog file. Usually, the next step is to configure another custom profile to send Avamar SNMP traps to a remote Net-SNMP trap listener. Procedure 1. Create a custom event profile by using the steps in Creating a custom event profile on page 209. On the first page of the New Profile wizard, select the option to enable SNMP trap notification. 2. Continue through the wizard until the SNMP Trap Notification page appears. 3. In the SNMP Trap Address (IP or hostname) box, type the IP address or hostname of a computer with an application capable of receiving and processing an SNMP trap. 4. In the Port Number box, type the port number on the host computer that listens for SNMP traps. 5. In the SNMP Community box, type the name of the SNMP community that the SNMP trap listener is configured to use. 6. (Optional) To test the SNMP notification parameters, click Send Test SNMP Trap. 7. Click Finish.
Viewing Avamar server log files By default, the Avamar storage process log file (gsan.log) is limited to 25 MB in size and always contains the most recent information. Additional historic log files (for example, gsan.log.1, gsan.log.2, and so forth) might also exist. You can collect and view these log files by using command line operations. Procedure 1. Open a command shell and log in by using one of the following methods: l
For a single-node server, log in to the server as admin.
l
For a multi-node server: a. Log in to the utility node as admin. b. Load the admin OpenSSH key by typing: ssh-agent bash ssh-add ~admin/.ssh/admin_key
2. Create a new user-defined temporary directory and change directory to it by typing the following commands: mkdir directory cd directory Viewing Avamar server log files
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where directory is the directory name. 3. Retrieve copies of the storage node log files by typing the following command: getlogs
The getlogs command gathers the important log files from a particular node, compresses them into a single tar file, nodelogs.tgz, then copies these files to numbered subdirectories in the current working directory. 4. Examine the nodelogs.tgz files for any entry that contains the string ERROR. To accomplish this, run the following shell commands, which write any nodelogs.tgz entries that contain the string ERROR to a user-defined temporary file: for p in [01].[!sm]*/nodelogs.tgz; do tar xzf $p grep ERROR: cur/gsan.log* rm -rf cur/* done
5. Remove the user-defined temporary directory by typing the following commands: cd ../ rm -rf directory
Audit logging The audit log keeps a permanent log of system actions initiated by users. The data in this log enables enterprises that deploy Avamar to enforce security policies, detect security breaches or deviation from policies, and hold users accountable for those actions. Only actions that are initiated by users are logged. Actions initiated by the system without a user account, such as scheduled backups, maintenance activities, and so forth, are not logged. System events with a category of SECURITY and type of AUDIT are used to implement the Avamar audit logging feature. Because the underlying data for audit log entries are system events, this information is available in two places: l
Event Monitor, which also contains all other system events
l
Audit Log, which only contains events that are also audit log entries
By default, audit log information is retained for one year. You can increase or reduce the audit log retention period by editing the value of clean_db_audits_days in /usr/local/avamar/var/mc/server_data/ prefs/mcserver.xml, and restarting the MCS.
Viewing the Audit Log Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Administration launcher button. The Administration window appears. 226
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2. Click the Event Management tab. 3. Click the Audit Log tab near the bottom of the window. The Avamar Administrator online help provides details on each of the columns in the Audit Log. 4. Select the display mode for the Audit Log: l
Select Query to display the most recent 5,000 audit log entries for a defined range of dates.
l
Select Monitor to display the most recent 5,000 audit log entries during the past 24 hours.
5. (Optional) Filter the entries that appear in the Audit Log: a. Open the Actions menu and select Event Management > Filter. The Filter dialog box appears. b. If you selected the Query display mode for the Audit Log, select the range of dates for the entries to display by using the From Date and To Date fields. c. From the Severity list, select the severity of the log entries to display. d. To view log entries for all domains, select All Domains. Or, to view entries for a specific domain, select Domain and then browse to or type the domain name. e. To display only log entries that contain certain case-sensitive keywords in the audit log entry data XML element, type the keyword in the Data box. This criterion promotes easy filtering on important keywords across log entry attributes. For example, filtering the log in error returns all log entries that contain the word error in any XML attribute (for example, category, type, or severity). f. Click More to view additional filtering criteria. g. To limit the Audit Log to events with a certain event code, select Only include codes and then add and remove codes from the list. Or, to exclude events with a certain event code from the Audit Log, select Exclude codes and then add and remove codes from the list. h. Click OK.
Automatic notifications to EMC Customer Support The Email Home and ConnectEMC features automatically send notifications to EMC Customer Support. These notifications include alerts for high priority events and daily reports to facilitate monitoring the Avamar server.
Usage Intelligence Usage Intelligence is a feature that enables your Avamar server to automatically collect and transfer reporting information to EMC support. This feature is enabled by selecting Tools > Manage ESRS from the Avamar Administrator.
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Note
With Avamar release 7.4 Service Pack 1, the Usage Intelligence feature represents foundational work for future functionality and should not be deployed by the customer.
Email Home The Avamar Email Home feature automatically sends configuration, capacity, and general system information to EMC Customer Support once daily, and provides critical alerts in near-real time as needed. By default, notification schedule email messages are sent at 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day. The Notification Schedule controls the timing of these messages. Schedules on page 103 provides more information on editing schedules.
Editing Email Home mail settings Email Home is configured and enabled during Avamar server installation. You can edit the mail settings for Email Home after the installation. Procedure 1. Open a command shell and log in by using one of the following methods: l
For a single-node server, log in to the server as admin.
l
For a multi-node server: a. Log in to the utility node as admin. b. Load the admin OpenSSH key by typing: ssh-agent bash ssh-add ~admin/.ssh/admin_key
2. Change directories by typing the following command: cd /usr/local/avamar/var/mc/server_data/prefs
3. Open mcserver.xml in a UNIX text editor. 4. Find the com.avamar.asn.module.mail node. The com.avamar.asn.module.mail node contains the smtpHost and admin_mail_sender_address entries. 5. Verify that the value for the smtpHost entry is the DNS name of the outgoing SMTP mail server that is used to send Email Home messages, such as smtp.example.com. If the value for the entry is incorrect, edit the value. NOTICE
The Avamar 6.0 and later server installation or upgrade automatically completes the value for the smtpHost entry. In most cases, some arrangement must be made to enable emails originating from the Avamar server to be forwarded through the outgoing SMTP mail server to EMC Customer Support over the Internet. 6. Specify a valid email address with access to a corporate outgoing SMTP mail server as the value for the admin_mail_sender_address entry. 228
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NOTICE
If you do not configure the Email Home feature to send messages from a valid email address, messages generated by the Email Home feature are rejected by the EMC incoming email server. EMC Customer Support is completely unaware that these programmatically generated messages were rejected. In addition, because a valid sending email account is not known, programmaticallygenerated warnings to the sender that these messages could not be sent are never viewed by anyone who can correct the problem. 7. Save the changes and close the file. 8. Restart the MCS by typing the following commands: dpnctl stop mcs dpnctl start
9. Close the command shell.
ConnectEMC ConnectEMC is a program that runs on the Avamar server and sends information to EMC Customer Support. ConnectEMC is typically configured to send alerts for high priority events as they occur, as well as reports once daily. ConnectEMC is integrated with EMC Secure Remote Support (ESRS), provided that it is installed, operational, and network accessible by the Avamar server. Contact your EMC Sales Representative for additional information about implementing ESRS. Although ConnectEMC is initially configured during Avamar server software installation, Avamar Administrator enables you to manage ConnectEMC settings, in the form of three user-configurable transports, after the server is operational: l
Primary transport
l
Failover transport
l
Notification transport
The primary and failover transports send alerts for high priority events as they occur. The primary transport is used unless it fails, at which time the failover transport is used. The notification transport sends email notifications messages to one or more customer email addresses under certain conditions. You also can control whether the MCS generates and sends ConnectEMC messages by enabling, disabling, stopping, and starting ConnectEMC.
Enabling and disabling ConnectEMC Disabling ConnectEMC causes the MCS to stop generating ConnectEMC messages until ConnectEMC is reenabled. To allow the MCS to continue generating ConnectEMC messages but to queue the messages, stop ConnectEMC. Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, select Tools > Manage ConnectEMC. The Manage ConnectEMC window appears. 2. Specify whether the MCS generates and sends ConnectEMC messages: ConnectEMC
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l
To stop the MCS from generating messages, click Disable.
l
To restart the generation of messages, click Enable.
l
To continue generating messages but queue the messages, click Stop.
l
To start sending the messages, click Start.
If you disable ConnectEMC, you are prompted to type a password. 3. Type a valid password and click OK.
Editing the primary and failover transports Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, select Tools > Manage ConnectEMC. The Manage ConnectEMC window appears. 2. Select either Primary Transport or Failover Transport in the left pane, and click Edit. The Edit Primary/Secondary Transport dialog box appears. 3. Select the transport type from the Transport Type list: l
Email
l
FTP
l
HTTPS
Note
An operational EMC Secure Remote Support gateway is required to use the FTP or HTTPS transport types. 4. (Email only) After selecting Email, complete the following steps. a. In the SMTP Host (Email Server) field, specify the mail server hostname or IPv4 address. b. In the Email Address field, specify one or more recipients of these email messages. Separate multiple email addresses with commas. c. In the Email Sender Address field, specify the email address from which to send the message. d. (Optional) To configure advanced settings, click Advanced, and then specify the following settings in the Edit Advanced Email Settings dialog box: l
Retries – The number of retries to perform before reporting a failure. The default setting is five retries.
l
Timeout – The number of seconds to wait before reporting that the operation timed out. The default setting is 5 minutes (300 s).
l
Description – A description of this transport that appears in the Manage ConnectEMC window. The default description is Email Transport.
l
Email Subject – The subject line in the email. The default subject line is Avamar ConnectEMC Notification Email. Do not change the email subject unless instructed to do so by EMC Customer Support. EMC spam filters can reject email messages with other subject lines.
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e. Click OK. 5. (FTP only) After selecting FTP, complete the following steps. a. In the IP Address field, specify an IPv4 address. b. In the Username field, specify an FTP username. The setting depends on the FTP server software. c. In the Password field, specify the password for the username. d. (Optional) To configure advanced settings, click Advanced, and then specify the following settings in the Edit Advanced FTP Settings dialog box: l
Retries – The number of retries to perform before reporting a failure. The default setting is five retries.
l
Timeout – The number of seconds to wait before reporting that the operation timed out. The default setting is 5 minutes (300 s).
l
Description – A description of this transport that appears in the Manage ConnectEMC window. The default description is FTP Transport.
l
FEP Folder – A unique customer UNIX path in the ConnectEMC Front End Processor (FEP). Use the folder location that is supplied by EMC Customer Support.
l
FTP Port – An IP port. The default setting is port 21.
l
Mode – Either Active or Passive. The default setting is Active. Do not change the email subject unless instructed to do so by EMC Customer Support. EMC spam filters can reject email messages with other subject lines.
e. Click OK. 6. (HTTPS only) After selecting HTTPS, complete the following steps. a. Type a valid URL for the EMC Secure Remote Support home page in the URL field. Valid URLs use the following format: https://home_name[:port]/target_directory where home_name, port, and target_directory are the home name, data port, and target directory, respectively. Use the URL provided by EMC Customer Support. b. (Optional) To configure advanced settings, click Advanced, and then specify the following settings in the Edit Advanced HTTPS Settings dialog box: l
Retries – The number of retries to perform before reporting a failure. The default setting is five retries.
l
Timeout – The number of seconds to wait before reporting that the operation timed out. The default setting is 5 minutes (300 s).
l
Private Key Pass Phrase – The passphrase that is associated with the private key file.
l
Private Key File – The file name of the private key file.
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l
Client Certificate – The client certificate to use. The default setting is “Default,” which uses the certificate that the MCS uses. Otherwise, type the file name of the client certificate.
l
Server CA Bundle – File containing a list of root certificates.
l
Verify Server Name – Whether to verify the server name. Either Yes or No. The default setting is No.
c. Click OK. Sample key files are provided in /opt/connectemc/certs/ and httpsprivatekey.pem. Sample client certificates are provided in /opt/ connectemc/certs/ and https-cert.pem. Sample root certificate bundles are provided in /opt/connectemc/certs/ and https-ca-cert.pem. 7. Click OK on the Edit Primary/Secondary Transport dialog box.
Editing the notification transport Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, select Tools > Manage ConnectEMC. The Manage ConnectEMC window appears. 2. Select Notification Transport and click Edit. The Edit Notification Transport dialog box appears. 3. From the Notification Type list, select one of the following types: l
On Success — Notify recipients when an event file is successfully transferred to EMC.
l
On Failure — Notify recipients when an event file is not successfully transferred to EMC.
l
On Success or Failure — Notify recipients when an attempt is made to transfer an event file to EMC, regardless of the outcome.
l
On All Failure — Notify recipients when all attempts to transfer an event file to EMC have failed.
4. In the SMTP Host (Email Server) box, type the mail server hostname or IPv4 address. 5. In the Email Address box, type one or more recipients of these emails. Separate multiple email addresses with commas. 6. In the Email Sender Address box, type the email address from which the notification is sent. 7. (Optional) To specify advanced settings, click Advanced and then specify the settings in the Edit Advanced Email Settings dialog box: a. In the Retries box, specify the number of retries to attempt before reporting a failure. The default setting is 5 retries. b. In the Timeout box, specify the number of seconds to wait before reporting that the operation timed out. The default setting is 300 seconds (5 minutes). c. In the Description box, specify the description of this transport that appears in the Manage ConnectEMC window. The default description is Email Transport. 232
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d. In the Email Subject box, specify the subject line for the email. The default subject line is Avamar ConnectEMC Notification Email. NOTICE
Do not change the email subject unless instructed to do so by EMC Customer Support. Email messages with other subject lines might be rejected by EMC spam filters. e. From the Email Format list, select the format of the email, either ASCII or HTML. The default setting is ASCII. f. Choose whether to include attachments sent to ConnectEMC in the notification email message by selecting or clearing the Include CallHome Data checkbox. g. Click OK. 8. On the Edit Notification Transport dialog box, click OK.
Testing transports Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, select Tools > Manage ConnectEMC. The Manage ConnectEMC window appears. 2. Click Test.
Verifying system integrity To verify Avamar server integrity, you must first ensure that a validated server checkpoint exists. You might also want to collect and examine the server log files to ensure that no errors have occurred since that checkpoint was performed. Viewing Avamar server log files on page 225 provides instructions. Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Server launcher button. The Server window appears. 2. Click the Server Management tab. 3. Select the Avamar server name in the left pane. 4. Verify that the Last validated checkpoint field shows a recent calendar date.
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CHAPTER 9 Capacity Management
This chapter includes the following topics: l l l l
Capacity utilization information........................................................................236 Capacity limits and thresholds..........................................................................236 Capacity forecasting........................................................................................ 237 Customizing capacity limits and behavior......................................................... 237
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Capacity utilization information View real-time capacity utilization information for a single server in Avamar Administrator or for multiple servers in Backup & Recovery Manager. In Avamar Administrator, view capacity utilization information for a single Avamar server on the Capacity panel of the Avamar Administrator dashboard and on the Server Management tab in the Server window. Capacity utilization information for multiple servers is available through Backup & Recovery Manager. For information about this capability, refer to the Backup & Recovery Manager product documentation.
Capacity limits and thresholds This following table describes how an Avamar server behaves as it crosses various consumed storage thresholds. Table 75 Capacity limits and thresholds
Storage utilization
236
Status
Description
Less than 75%
The system is considered to have adequate capacity to store future backups.
75%
Study server storage utilization to determine whether the server has adequate capacity to store future backups.
80%
A pop-up notification warns you that the server has consumed 80% of its available storage capacity. Study server storage utilization to determine whether the server has adequate capacity to store future backups.
90%
Study server storage utilization to determine whether the server has adequate capacity to store future backups.
95%
The server has reached the default health check limit, which is the amount of storage capacity that can be used and still have a “healthy” server. Avamar completes all in-progress backups, but the dispatcher stops new backup activity. When you log in to
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Table 75 Capacity limits and thresholds (continued)
Storage utilization
Status
Description Avamar Administrator, a notification appears. Acknowledge the system event to resume future backup activity. You can customize the health check limit, but setting the limit higher than 95% is not recommended. Customizing capacity limits and behavior on page 237 provides instructions.
100%
The server has reached the read-only limit and automatically becomes readonly to protect the integrity of the data that is already stored on the server. If ConnectEMC has been enabled, a Service Request (SR) is logged. Go to EMC Online Support to view existing SRs for the system. Search the knowledgebase for "Avamar User and OS Capacity Management solution esg118578".
Capacity forecasting Every Avamar server continuously tracks and analyzes the rate at which storage capacity is consumed, and projects how long storage capacity can be consumed at that rate. This forecasting occurs in the background. Capacity forecasting results for an Avamar server and configured Data Domain systems are available in the Capacity panel of Avamar Administrator. For more information, see Capacity panel on page 45.
Customizing capacity limits and behavior Edit the Avamar Administrator preferences file to customize the settings that control capacity limits and system behavior.
Editing capacity settings for Avamar Administrator Procedure 1. Open a command shell and log in by using one of the following methods: l
For a single-node server, log in to the server as admin. Capacity forecasting
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l
For a multi-node server: a. Log in to the utility node as admin. b. Load the admin OpenSSH key by typing: ssh-agent bash ssh-add ~admin/.ssh/admin_key
2. Shut down the Management Console Server (MCS) by typing the following command: dpnctl stop mcs
3. Change directory by typing the following command: cd /usr/local/avamar/var/mc/server_data/prefs
4. Open mcserver.xml in a text editor. 5. Find the com.avamar.mc.mcsm section of the preferences file. 6. Edit the following settings. Table 76 Capacity settings in mcserver.xml
Setting
Description
Default value
capErrPercent
When capacity usage reaches this percentage, the capacity state icon is red.
95%
capForecastDataDays
Amount of historical capacity usage data that is used for forecasting.
30 days
capForecastDataMinDays Minimum amount of historical capacity usage data that is required for forecasting.
14 days
capForecastReachedDays When forecasted capacity 30 days falls below this number of days, Avamar Administrator begins generating events that require acknowledgment and displaying pop-up alerts at login.
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capMonitorIntervalMin
This setting controls how often Avamar Administrator checks forecasted capacity.
capReachedPercentage
When total capacity utilization 95% reaches this percentage threshold, the Avamar Administrator process generates an event notification that the system is full.
capWarnPercent
When capacity usage reaches this percentage, the capacity state icon is yellow.
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80%
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Table 76 Capacity settings in mcserver.xml (continued)
Setting
Description
Default value
hcMonitorIntervalMin
This setting controls how 1 day (daily) often Avamar Administrator performs a health check (that is, verifies whether consumed capacity has reached the health check limit).
hcOffsetROPercentage
Percentage that, when subtracted from the server read-only limit (100%), produces the health check limit.
5%
hcReminderIntervalMin
This setting controls how often Avamar Administrator issues events and pop-up alerts once the health check limit has been reached.
60 minutes (hourly)
7. Save the changes and close the file. 8. Start the MCS and the scheduler by typing: dpnctl start mcs dpnctl start sched
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CHAPTER 10 Replication
This chapter includes the following topics: l l l l l l l l l
Overview of Avamar replication........................................................................242 Enabling Replicas at Source............................................................................. 247 Configuring policy-based replication................................................................ 248 Performing on-demand replication................................................................... 257 Performing command line replication............................................................... 258 Monitoring replication...................................................................................... 270 Canceling a replication task.............................................................................. 271 Restoring by using a replica on a destination system........................................ 271 MCS configuration parameters to support Replicas at Source......................... 273
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Overview of Avamar replication The Avamar replication process copies client backups from a source Avamar system to a destination system. Replication prevents data loss if the source Avamar system fails because copies of the backups (replicas) are stored on the destination system.
Types of replication Avamar provides policy-based replication and command line replication. Policy-based replication Policy-based replication provides greater control of the replication process. With policy-based replication, create replication groups in Avamar Administrator that define the following replication settings: l
Replication group members, either domains or clients
l
Priority order for replication tasks
l
Backups to replicate, based on the retention setting or the backup date
l
Maximum number of backups to replicate for each client
l
Destination system for the replicas
l
Replication schedule
l
Retention of replicas
Command line replication Perform on-demand replication from the command line by logging in to the utility node and using the avrepl command line interface (CLI). Command line replication provides greater control of the replication process. Options for the avrepl command define the following replication settings: l
Domains or clients to replicate
l
Backups to replicate, based on: n
Plug-in that is used for the backup
n
Retention setting for the backup
n
Backup date
l
Maximum number of backups to replicate for each client
l
Destination system for the replicas
l
Retention of replicas
Replication scheduling The method for scheduling replication tasks depends on the type of replication that is used. For policy-based replication, define schedules similar to how backup schedules are defined. For command line replication, no schedule is defined because a replication task is manually started by running the avrepl command on the utility node. Defining a schedule for policy-based replication To configure schedules for policy-based replication, select Tools > Manage Schedules to open the Manage All Schedules window. From this window, define a schedule to start replication tasks automatically on a daily, weekly, or monthly interval. You can also create an on-demand schedule that does not run automatically. 242
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The schedule includes a start time and end time to specify the replication window. Time zone considerations When using Avamar Administrator to schedule replication tasks be aware that the start time appears in the time zone of the computer that is running Avamar Administrator. The start time does not appear in the time zone of the source system or in the time zone of the destination system. For example, consider using Avamar Administrator in the Pacific time zone with a source system in the Eastern time zone. The source system compensates for the three-hour difference between the two time zones. An 8 p.m. PT start time that is specified in Avamar Administrator means that the source system starts the replication task at 11 p.m ET. Best practices for replication scheduling Schedule replication tasks during periods of low backup activity to ensure that the greatest number of client backups successfully replicate during each replication session. This scheduling consideration accommodates the fact that only completed client backups are replicated. For policy-based replication, consider the size of each replication group so that all backups replicate successfully during each scheduled replication task. When a group grows so large that backups are not all replicating successfully, edit the schedule to enable more time, or split the group into smaller groups that run separately.
Replication authentication Specify valid credentials for an account on the destination system when you configure policy-based replication. For command line replication, specify valid credentials for the source Avamar system and for the destination system at the command prompt. For policy-based replication, specify the credentials when adding a destination system on the Destinations tab in the Replication window. For command line replication, specify the user account and password for the destination system by using the --[replscript]dstid and --dstpassword options. Use the --[avtar]id and --password options to specify the user account and password for the source system. On the source Avamar system, the repluser account is the default account for replication. When you use the repluser account for command line replication, omit the --[avtar]id option from the command and specify the password for the repluser account with the --password option. The EMC Avamar Product Security Guide provides a complete list of default accounts and passwords on the Avamar system.
Location of replicas on a destination Avamar system On a destination Avamar system, replicas are available in the REPLICATE domain. This domain contains a duplicate representation of the client hierarchy that exists on the source Avamar system. In the following figure, the avamar-1.example.com destination Avamar system contains both local clients and replicas from the avamar-2.example.com source server.
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Figure 13 Replication domain structure example
All data in the REPLICATE domain is read-only. You can perform only the following operations on replicas in the REPLICATE domain: l
Change the expiration date of the replica
l
View backup statistics
l
Delete a replica
Replicas at Source on page 244 describes the Replicas at Source feature that provides management of replicas through the replication source Avamar server instead of the REPLICATE domain on the destination system.
Replicas at Source With Replicas at Source, view and manage replicas by using an Avamar Administrator session on the Avamar server that is the replication source. Features The Replicas at Source feature is in Avamar server version 7.2 and newer. Enabling Replicas at Source on page 247 describes how to enable the feature. The following table describes the features that Replicas at Source provides on the source Avamar server. Table 77 Replicas at Source features available through the source Avamar server
Feature
Description
View replicas on Restore tab
Replicas appear along with backups on the Restore tab of the Backup, Restore and Manage window in Avamar Administrator.
Manage replica settings
Use Avamar Administrator or the CLI to perform the following actions with a replica:
Restore from replica
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l
Change expiration date
l
Change retention
l
Delete
l
Validate
l
View statistics
Using the same methods that are available for backups, select a replica and restore it.
Replication
Table 77 Replicas at Source features available through the source Avamar server (continued)
Feature
Description
Periodic synchronization
Periodically, the source Avamar system synchronizes with each active destination system. The default interval between synchronizations is 12 hours; therefore, recent changes may not be reflected for some time. This synchronization includes the following actions: l
Apply expiration setting changes
l
Apply retention setting changes
l
Delete local listing if replica does not exist on remote destination
l
Add local listing when unlisted replica is found on remote destination
Note
Replicas at Source does not support replicas of virtual machine backups. Integration Several Avamar tasks integrate Replicas at Source. The sections that document these tasks include information about the integration of Replicas at Source features. The following table provides an overview of the Replicas at Source integration. Table 78 Descriptions of the integration of Replicas at Source into Avamar tasks
Task
Description
Remote destination management
Prevents deletion of a remote destination listing from the source Avamar server when replicas from the source Avamar server exist on the destination system. Includes an override option to force the deletion of the remote destination listing and delete all the source server's replicas from the destination system.
Restore
Lists replicas with backups on the Restore tab of the Backup, Restore and Manage window in Avamar Administrator. When a backup exists on the source Avamar system and replicas exist on remote destination systems, the Avamar system uses the backup to restore.
Retire client
When retiring a client, Replicas at Source provides additional choices that are related to the retention and expiration of replicas.
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Table 78 Descriptions of the integration of Replicas at Source into Avamar tasks (continued)
Task
Description
Delete client
When deleting a client, Replicas at Source provides an option to also delete the client's replicas.
Services administration
Adds the External Backup Manager Service to the Services Administration tab of the Administration window in Avamar Administrator. The service includes standard service actions: Start, Stop, Restart, and View Properties. When the External Backup Manager Service is stopped, Avamar Administrator prevents Replicas at Source management of replicas.
MCS
Replicas at Source adds customizable settings to mcserver.xml.
MCCLI
Replicas at Source adds hostname and location information to the output of mccli backup show. Replicas at Source also provides the --location option for identifying replicas when running any of the following commands: l
mccli backup validate
l
mccli backup delete
l
mccli backup edit
l
mccli backup restore
Retention of replicas When you replicate backups, the retention setting for the backup on the source Avamar system automatically applies to the replica on the destination system. However, you can change the retention setting for the replica. Set retention before replication occurs For policy-based replication, specify a different retention setting for replicas on the Expiration page when you configure the replication group. For command line replication, use the --[avtar]expires option to specify a different retention setting for replicas. Set retention after replication occurs Enable Replicas at Source to use an Avamar Administrator session on the source Avamar server to set the retention of replicas on the destination system. Or log in to a destination Avamar system using Avamar Administrator and manually change the expiration date of the replica after replication occurs. Changing the expiration date for a backup on page 129 provides instructions for changing the retention of backups. These instructions apply equally to replicas on an Avamar system. 246
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Replication with Data Domain systems When an Avamar system stores backups on a Data Domain system, Avamar replication uses DD Boost to copy backups from the original Data Domain system and to create replicas on another Data Domain system. Supported replication configurations The following table lists the supported replication configurations for Avamar replication using DD Boost. Table 79 Replication configurations for Avamar replication using DD Boost
Backup storage
Replication storage
Single Data Domain system
Single Data Domain system
Single Data Domain system
Multiple Data Domain systems
Multiple Data Domain systems
Single Data Domain system
Multiple Data Domain systems
Multiple Data Domain systems
In a configuration where the replication storage consists of multiple Data Domain systems, control which system receives the replicas by mapping a domain on the source Avamar server to a destination Data Domain system. Also specify which Data Domain system is the default destination. Avamar replicates to the default destination when a destination Data Domain system is not identified on the Storage Mapping tab of the Replication window in Avamar Administrator. The EMC Avamar and EMC Data Domain System Integration Guide provides instructions on storage mapping and specifying the default destination Data Domain system. Replication details The following details apply to Avamar replication with Data Domain systems: l
Data transfer during replication is between the Data Domain systems, without intermediate staging
l
Replication uses DD Boost to copy backups and to write replicas
l
Requires a Data Domain replication license
l
Does not use Data Domain replication
l
Replication is configured and monitored on the Avamar server
l
Replication task scheduling uses Avamar replication schedules only
l
Data Domain administration tools are not used
Enabling Replicas at Source The Replicas at Source feature is in Avamar server versions 7.2 and newer. To enable the feature, modify mcserver.xml and then start the Remote Backup Manager Service. Before you begin Install or upgrade the Avamar server software to version 7.2 or newer. Procedure 1. Open a command shell and log in by using one of the following methods: Replication with Data Domain systems
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l
For a single-node server, log in to the server as admin.
l
For a multi-node server: a. Log in to the utility node as admin. b. Load the admin OpenSSH key by typing: ssh-agent bash ssh-add ~admin/.ssh/admin_key
2. Stop the MCS by typing the following command: dpnctl stop mcs
3. Change the working directory by typing the following command: cd /usr/local/avamar/var/mc/server_data/prefs
4. Open mcserver.xml in a text editor. 5. In the repl container element, set the value of the allow_dest_replica_management parameter to true. The default value is false. 6. In the repl container element, set the value of the show_external_backups parameter to true. The default value is true. 7. In the repl container element, set the value of the allow_manage_remote_backups_at_source parameter to true. The default value is true. 8. Save the change and close the file. 9. Start the MCS and the scheduler by typing: dpnctl start mcs dpnctl start sched
10. Log in to Avamar Administrator on the Avamar server that is associated with the client backups (source server). 11. In Avamar Administrator, click the Administration launcher button. The Administration window appears. 12. Click the Services Administration tab. 13. Right-click the Remote Backup Manager Service, and select Start. Results The Avamar server enables the Replicas at Source feature.
Configuring policy-based replication Preparing to use policy-based requires the completion of several distinct tasks. Before you begin Log in to Avamar Administrator on the Avamar server that is associated with the client backups (source server).
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The following steps provide an overview of the order of the tasks for configuring policy-based replication. Each step is explained in more detail in a separate task section. Procedure 1. Using Avamar Administrator, add a replication destination for each system that stores replicas from the source server (destination system). Replication destinations on page 249 provides information about replication destinations, including how to add a destination system. 2. Using Avamar Administrator, create daily, weekly, or monthly schedules to use for replication scheduling. In Avamar, creating a replication schedule is the same as creating a backup schedule. Schedules on page 103 describes Avamar schedules and how they are created. 3. Using Avamar Administrator, create one or more replication groups to define the settings for the policy-based replication. Replication groups on page 251 provides information about replication groups, including how to create a replication group.
Replication destinations Add replication destinations to begin configuring policy-based replication on an Avamar server. Provide connection details for a supported data storage system to add it as a replication destination. Avamar supports replication to other Avamar systems and to Data Domain systems through DD Boost. An Avamar system can replicate to another Avamar system that is running a different version of the Avamar server software, but best results occur with the same server software version.
Adding an Avamar system as a replication destination Provide connection information for an Avamar system to add it as a replication destination. Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Replication/Tiering launcher button. The Replication/Tiering window appears. 2. Select the Destinations tab. 3. Select Actions > New Destination. The New Replication Destination dialog box appears. 4. In Name, type a reference name for the destination Avamar system. 5. In Destination server type, select Replicate. 6. In Encryption, select an encryption level. The selected encryption level applies to replication data transfers with the destination Avamar system. The default setting is high, and should not be changed unless the source is configured to use authentication and the destination does not use authentication. In this case it should be set to none.
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7. In Target server address, type the DNS name or the IP address of the destination Avamar system. 8. In Target server connection port, type the number of the outbound port on the source Avamar system to use when communicating with the destination Avamar system. The default port value is 27000. Selecting High or Medium in Encryption results in an offset being applied to port to allow connections through firewalls. The default offset is +2000. Edit the offset by manually editing the secured_port_offset preference in mcserver.xml, and then restarting the MCS. 9. In Target MCS connection port, type the number of the inbound port on the destination Avamar server to use for data connections with MCS on the destination system. The default port value is 28001. 10. In User ID on target server, type a username for an account on the destination Avamar system that has the backup privilege and the admin privilege. Normally, type repluser or root. Note
For a user with access limited to a domain beneath the root domain (tenant access), both the source Avamar server and the destination system must be running Avamar server version 7.2 or newer. 11. In Password on target server, type the password that is associated with the username. 12. Click Verify Authentication. The source Avamar system authenticates with the destination Avamar system by using the specified settings. In the Verifying Authentication dialog box, a results message appears. 13. In the Verifying Authentication dialog box, click Close. 14. In the New Replication Destination dialog box, click OK. Results Avamar Administrator adds the replication destination to the list on the Destinations tab.
Editing a replication destination Change the connection information for a replication destination. Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Replication/Tiering launcher button. The Replication/Tiering window appears. 2. Click the Destinations tab. 3. Select the replication destination to edit. 4. Select Actions > Edit Destination. The Replication Destination dialog box appears. 250
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5. Edit the settings for the replication destination. 6. Click OK. Results Avamar Administrator modifies the settings of the selected replication destination.
Deleting a replication destination record Delete the record for a replication destination from a source Avamar system. When Replicas at Source is enabled, the Avamar system checks for replicas on the replication destination system. If replicas associated with the source Avamar system exist, Avamar Administrator prevents the deletion of the replication destination record. Override this setting to delete the replication destination record even when replicas exist. When Replicas at Source is disabled, the Avamar system does not check for replicas on the replication destination system before deleting the replication destination record. Any existing replicas remain on the replication destination system until they expire or until they are deleted by using the destination system interface. Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Replication/Tiering launcher button. The Replication/Tiering window appears. 2. Click the Destinations tab. 3. Select the replication destination record to delete. 4. Select Actions > Delete Destination. A confirmation message appears. 5. Click Yes. Replicas at Source
Result
Enabled
The Avamar system checks for replicas on the replication destination system and if no replicas exist, deletes the replication destination record. To prevent the Avamar system from checking for replicas, and delete the replication destination record even if replicas exist on the replication destination system, clear Check for remote backups before deletion, then click Yes.
Disabled
The Avamar system deletes the replication destination record.
Replication groups Replication groups enable you to define the settings for policy-based replication, including the domain and client members of the replication group, the backup types to replicate, the number of backups to replicate, the destination server, the replication schedule, and how long replicated backups are retained on the destination server. You also specify the priority for which backup data replicates first. When you define the members of the replication group, the order in which members are listed in the Member(s) list controls the order in which backup data is replicated. Backup data for a client replicates only once, even if a client is listed individually and is also a member of a domain in the Member(s) list. Replication groups
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In addition, if an individual client is a higher priority in the Member(s) list than the domain to which it belongs, then the backup data for the individual client replicates before the backup data for any other clients in the domain.
Creating a replication group Before you begin l
Add a destination Avamar server to the configuration on the source Avamar server.
l
(Optional) Create a schedule for when replication for the group should occur. Creating a schedule on page 106 provides instructions.
Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Replication/Tiering launcher button. The Replication/Tiering window appears. 2. Select the Groups tab. 3. Select Actions > New Replication Group. The New Replication Group wizard opens, starting with the General page. 4. Type a name for the replication group in the Replication group name box. 5. Choose whether to enable or disable replication for the replication group: l
Select the Disabled checkbox to disable replication for the replication group.
l
Leave the checkbox clear to enable replication for the replication group.
6. From the Encryption method list, select the encryption setting for data transfers between the source and destination servers. The encryption technology and bit strength that is used for a connection depends on several factors, including the server platform and Avamar server version. The EMC Avamar Product Security Guide provides details. 7. Click Next. The Source page appears. 8. Complete the steps that are required for the members in the replication group. Members in the replication group
Steps
All clients
Select Replicate all client backups.
Specific domains or clients
a. Select Choose specific client(s) and/or domain(s) to replicate. b. Click Choose Membership. The Replication Group Membership dialog box appears. c. Select the checkboxes next to the domains or clients to add to the replication group. Selected members appear in the Member(s) list. d. Set replication priority for the replication group members by controlling the order in which domains and clients appear in the Member(s) list. Select members in the list and use the arrow buttons to change the order of the list.
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Members in the replication group
Steps
e. To remove a member from the replication group, select the member in the Member(s) list and click X. f. Click Finish. 9. Complete the steps that are required for the type of backups to replicate. Type of backups Steps to replicate All backups from Select Replicate all backups. all members of the replication group Specific backups
a. Select Include/exclude backups by type, date, and more. b. Click Change Filter. The Replication Filter Options dialog box appears. c. Select the type of backups to replicate: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly, or Not tagged. Select at least one backup type. d. Specify the maximum number of backups to replicate for each client that is a member of the replication group. To replicate all backups (no maximum), select No limit. To replicate a certain number of the most recent backups for each member client, select backup(s) and then specify the maximum number in the list. e. Specify date restrictions for the backups to replicate for each client that is a member of the replication group. To replicate all backups regardless of when the backups occurred, select No Date Restrictions. To replicate only backups that occurred within a recent period, select Last and then specify an amount of past Day(s), Weeks(s), Month(s), or Year(s) to include. To replicate only backups that occurred during a range of dates, select Range and specify the start date/time in the From fields, or the end date/time in the To fields, or both. f. Click OK.
10. Click Next. The Destination page appears. 11. Select the destination server from the Where would you like to replicate backups to? list.
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You can also add a destination server by selecting New Destination from the list, or edit the settings for a destination server by selecting the server from the list and then clicking Modify. 12. Click Next. The Expiration page appears. 13. Specify when the replicated backups should expire on the destination server: l
To expire the replicated backups at the current expiration setting, select Keep current backup expiration.
l
To expire the replicated backups at a different time than the current expiration setting, select Set expiration by backup type and then specify the number of days, weeks, months, or years to retain each backup type. If a backup is of multiple types, then the expiration for the replicated backup is set to the specified value for the longest duration backup type. For example, if a backup is both a daily and a monthly backup, then the expiration for the replicated backup is set to the value that you specify for monthly backups.
14. Click Next. The Schedule page appears. 15. Select the replication schedule from the How often would you like this replication to run? list. You can also create a schedule by selecting New Schedule from the list, or edit the settings for a schedule by selecting the schedule from the list and then clicking Modify. 16. Click Next. The Order page appears. 17. If pool-based replication will be used to enable multiple parallel replication backups from a Data Domain source to a Data Domain target, select Replicate client backups in parallel. Otherwise, select Default Mode. a. Select Optimize Virtual Synthetic Replication (VSR) to instruct the replication plug-in to use VSR optimization for plug-ins that support optimization. VSR optimization requires that the Replication order of client backups must be Oldest backup to newest backup. This option is selected by default; to require that all ordering options for pool-based replication are followed, regardless of the plug-in, deselect this option. b. For the Replication order of client backups, select one of the following: l
Oldest backup to newest backup begins replication with the oldest backup first.
l
Newest backup to oldest backup begins replication with the newest backup first.
18. Click Next. The Overview page appears. 19. 20. Review the settings for the replication group. 21. (Optional) Specify plug-in options for the replication group: 254
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a. Click More Options. b. To replicate only backups from specific plug-ins, specify the numeric plug-in descriptor in the Include plug-in specific backups box. Separate multiple entries with a comma, or leave the box empty to replicate all backups. Numeric plug-in descriptors on page 266 provides a list of numeric plug-in descriptors. c. To exclude backups from specific plug-ins from replication, specify the numeric plug-in descriptor in the Exclude plug-in specific backups box. Separate multiple entries with a comma, or leave the box empty to replicate all backups. d. From the Informational message level list, select the verbosity for informational messages in the replication log files: l
Select No informationals to suppress all informational messages but include errors and warnings in the log files.
l
Select Some informationals to provide some information messages in the log files with errors and warnings.
l
Select Many informationals to provide additional status information in the log files with errors and warnings.
l
Select All informationals to provide maximum information in the log files, including all informational messages, errors, and warnings.
e. Specify whether to include advanced timing and deduplication statistics in the replication log files by selecting or clearing the Report advanced statistics checkbox. f. From the Maximum concurrent processes list, select the maximum number of clients to replicate simultaneously. g. Select the Show Advanced Options checkbox to specify advanced options. The advanced options appear in red on the More Options dialog box. h. To replicate only a specific backup, specify the backup sequence number in the Backup sequence number box or the backup label in the Backup label box. Specify the complete backup sequence number or label. i. To replicate backups that have a label that matches a specific pattern, specify the pattern in the Backup label pattern box. j. From the List contents being replicated list, specify how much information about the replicated backups to include in the replication log files: l
No file listing
l
List file names
l
List files and dates
Use caution when including file information in the replication log files. Replication performance decreases, and the size of the log files can be very large. k. To write the maximum amount of information to log files for troubleshooting, select the Enable debugging messages checkbox. The replication process generates very large log files. Replication groups
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l. To reduce network usage to a specified rate in megabits per second, specify the number of megabits in the Network usage throttle box. Specify 0 (zero) for unrestricted network usage. Specify 0.772 to use 50 percent of a T1. m. If pool-based replication is being configured for Data Domain systems, select the order for client replication in the Client list ordering option. n. If pool-based replication is being configured for Data Domain systems, for the Maximum number of Data Domain Replication Streams option, enter the maximum number of avtar processes that can be started in parallel. o. Click OK. 22. Click Finish.
Enabling and disabling a replication group You can disable a replication group to prevent scheduled replications from occurring for that group. This is typically done to place the system in a state that supports maintenance activities. If you disable a replication group, you must re-enable the group to resume scheduled replications. Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Replication/Tiering launcher button. The Replication/Tiering window appears. 2. Select the Groups tab. 3. Select the replication group. 4. Select Actions > Disable Replication Group. If the group is enabled, then a check mark appears next to Disable Replication Group to indicate that the group has been disabled. If the group is disabled, then the check mark clears to indicate that the group has been disabled. 5. Click Yes on the confirmation message.
Editing a replication group Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Replication/Tiering launcher button. The Replication/Tiering window appears. 2. Select the Groups tab. 3. Select the replication group to edit. 4. Select Actions > Edit Replication Group. The Edit Replication Group wizard appears. 5. Edit the settings for the replication group. The settings are the same settings that you specified when you created the group. 6. Click OK.
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remains on the destination server until the replicated backups expire or you delete the backups. Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Replication/Tiering launcher button. The Replication/Tiering window appears. 2. Select the Groups tab. 3. Select the replication group to delete 4. Select Actions > Delete Replication Group. A confirmation message appears. 5. Click Yes.
Performing on-demand replication You can perform on-demand replication of a replication group when you use policybased replication. An on-demand replication is a one-time replication of data for the replication group. You may want to perform an on-demand replication for the first replication of the replication group after you configure policy-based replication. You should also perform on-demand replication before system maintenance, software installations, or software upgrades. You can initiate on-demand replication from either the Replication window or the Policy window.
Performing on-demand replication from the Replication window Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Replication/Tiering launcher button. The Replication/Tiering window appears. 2. Select the Groups tab. 3. Select the replication group. 4. Select Actions > Replicate Now. An On-Demand Replication Request dialog box indicates that the replication request was submitted. 5. Click Close.
Performing on-demand replication from the Policy window Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Policy launcher button. The Policy window appears. 2. Click the Policy Management tab. 3. Click the Groups tab. 4. Select the replication group from the list. Replication groups appear with a value of Replication in the Type column for the group.
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5. Click Run. A confirmation message appears. 6. Click Close.
Performing command line replication The avrepl command line interface (CLI) enables you to replicate data from a source Avamar server to a destination Avamar server. The avrepl binary is located in the \usr\local\avamar\bin directory on the server utility node. You must log in as admin or root and run the command from that location.
Command reference The following topics provide a reference for the operations and options that the avrepl command supports.
Synopsis avrepl --operation=replicate [options] [target]
Operations The only supported operation for avrepl is --operation=replicate, which replicates data from the source Avamar server to a destination Avamar server.
Options Use the avrepl command options to control replication behavior.
Account options Account options for the avrepl command enable you to specify credentials to connect to the destination Avamar server for replication. The following account options are available for the avrepl command. Table 80 Account options for the avrepl command
Option
Description
--account=location --acnt=location --path=location
Specifies a hierarchical location on the destination Avamar server. This option is relative to the current home location, unless you use a slash (/) as a prefix to the path designation, in which case an absolute path is assumed. The default account is REPLICATE.
--[replscript]dstaddr=destination_server
Specifies the DNS name or IP address of the destination Avamar server. Replication between servers of different versions is supported. However, for best results, ensure that the Avamar server software on the destination server is the same version or a newer version than the source Avamar server.
--[replscript]dstid=repluser
Specifies the Avamar user ID and domain to use for authentication on the destination Avamar server.
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Table 80 Account options for the avrepl command (continued)
Option
Description Note
The repluser account is the only user account that is known to work reliably on all destination servers. --dstpassword=password --dstap=password
Specifies the password for repluser account on the destination Avamar server.
--dstpswd=password --[replscript]dstpath=domain
Specifies a location (domain) on the destination Avamar server to store replicated source data. The default value is the top-level directory (/), which stores the replicated data in a new domain that is named for the source Avamar server. Use this option with the --[replscript]srcpath option. You cannot use this option with the --[replscript]dpnname option.
--[replscript]dstport=port
Specifies the data port to use when connecting to the destination Avamar server. The default value is 27000.
--hfsaddr=Avamar_server --server=Avamar_server --[avtar]id=user@auth
Specifies the DNS name or IP address of the source Avamar server. Specifies the Avamar user ID and authentication system to use for authentication on the source Avamar server. The default value is repluser, which is the default replication user account on the Avamar server. To authenticate with the Avamar authentication system, specify avamar for auth. For example: --[avtar]id=jdoe@avamar. Specifies the password for the Avamar user ID to use for authentication on the source Avamar server.
--password=password --ap=password --pswd=password
Logging options Logging options for the avrepl command enable you to specify the path and file name for the avrepl log file, and to control how much information the plug-in writes to the log file. The following logging options are available for the avrepl command. Table 81 Logging options for the avrepl command
Option
Description
--[avtar]informationals=n
Sets the information level for status messages, where n is a single-digit integer value.
--[avtar]noinformationals={true | false}
Specify true to disable all status messages.
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Table 81 Logging options for the avrepl command (continued)
Option
Description
--[avtar]statistics={true | false}
Specify true to include advanced timing and deduplication statistics in the replication log files.
--log=file --logfile=file
Specifies the full path and file name of the avrepl plug-in log file.
--nostdout={true | false}
Specify true to disable output to STDOUT. However, if you use the --log or --logfile option, output still goes to the log file.
--nowarnings={true | false}
Specify true to disable warning messages.
--quiet={true | false}
Specify true to suppress all messages. This option is equivalent to using both -[avtar]noinformationals=true and -nowarnings=true. Specify either --verbose or --v to enable all messages, including status and warning messages. Specify -verbose=n to control the level of verbosity. The default value is --verbose=6.
--verbose --v
Replication options Replication options for the avrepl command enable you to control replication functionality, such as which backups should replicate and how long to retain replicated backups on the destination server. The following replication options are available for the avrepl command. Table 82 Replication options for the avrepl command
Option
Description
--[avtar]after=timestamp
Specifies that only backups matching timestamp and later should be replicated. For timestamp, use 24 hour local time zone values that conform to the syntax yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss. You can use partial timestamp values. The resolution is truncated to the last supplied value. For example, 2014-02 is equivalent to 2014-02-01 00:00:00. You can also use this option with --[avtar]before=timestamp to define a range of effective dates. Only backups that occurred within the date range are replicated.
--[avtar]allsnapups={true | false}
The default value is true, which replicates all backups. If false, then only the most recent backup for each client is replicated. If you specify the --[avtar]count option, then the --[avtar]count option overrides the -[avtar]allsnapups option. Only the specified number of most recent backups replicates for each client.
--[avtar]before=timestamp
Specifies that only backups that occurred before timestamp should be replicated. For timestamp, use 24 hour local time
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Table 82 Replication options for the avrepl command (continued)
Option
Description zone values that conform to the syntax yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss. You can use partial timestamp values. The resolution is truncated to the last supplied value. For example, 2014-02 is equivalent to 2012-02-01 00:00:00. You can also use this option with --[avtar]after=timestamp to define a range of effective dates. Only backups that occurred within the date range are replicated.
--[avtar]count=n
Limits replicated backups to this maximum number (n) of most recent backups for each client.
--[avtar]exclude-pluginid-list=list
Excludes backups that are performed with the specified plugin, where list is a comma-separated list of plug-in IDs.
--[avtar]expires={n | period | timestamp}
Specifies how long to retain replicated backups on the destination server: l
A number of days (n).
l
An expiration period as a specific number of days, weeks, months, or years. To specify a period, use one of the following values: days=n weeks=n months=n years=n where n is a positive integer. For example, supply -[avtar]expires=years=2 to retain replicated backups for two years on the destination server. Also, -[avtar]expires=30 and -[avtar]expires=days=30 are equivalent.
l
A timestamp for the date and time at which the replicated backup expires. Use 24 hour local time zone values that conform to the syntax yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss. You can use partial timestamp values. The resolution is truncated to the last supplied value. For example, 2014-02 is equivalent to 2014-02-01 00:00:00.
--[avtar]pluginid-list=list
Replicates only backups that are performed with the specified plug-ins, where list is a comma-separated list of plug-in IDs.
--[avtar]retention-type={daily | weekly | monthly | yearly | none}
Replicates only backups with one of the following retention types: l
daily
l
weekly
l
monthly
l
yearly
l
none
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Table 82 Replication options for the avrepl command (continued)
Option
Description If you supply none, then only backups without a specific retention type are replicated.
--[replscript]dpnname=source_server --dpn=source_server
Specifies a name to use to represent the source Avamar server (source_server) as part of the path for the replicated files in the REPLICATE domain on the destination server. Specify the fully qualified domain name of the source server. You cannot use this option with the -[replscript]dstpath or --[replscript]srcpath options.
--[replscript]dstencrypt={ssl | tls}
Enables the specified encryption method for avtar, avmaint, and avmgr on the destination server. Valid encryption methods are ssl and tls.
--[replscript]srcpath=domain
Specifies a location (domain) on the source Avamar server from which to begin replication. Only data within this location is replicated. The default setting is the top-level domain (/), which replicates the entire server. Use this option with the -[replscript]dstpath option. You cannot use this option with the --[replscript]dpnname option.
--backup-type=type
Replicates only the specified type of backup, where type is one of the following values: l
differential
l
differential_full
l
incremental
l
incremental_full
l
level0_full
l
synthetic_full
-- max-ddr-streams= n
Sets maximum number of avtar processes that can be started in parallel which target the back-end Data Domain system.
--optimize-vsr={true | false}
Used in conjunction with --vsr-plug-in-ids when -use-pool-based is set to true, this option identifies whether Virtual Synthetic Replication (VSR) optimization should be used with plug-ins that support optimization. VSR optimization requires that the order of replication must be oldest-to-newest, regardless of other settings. The default setting for this option is true; to require that all ordering options for pool-based replication are followed, regardless of plug-in, set this option to false.
--ordering-criterion= order
If --use-pool-based is set to true, this option determines the order in which backups will be replicated. Available values are: l
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oldest-to-newest Begins replication with the oldest backup first. If this option is not specified, this is the default setting.
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Table 82 Replication options for the avrepl command (continued)
Option
Description l
newest-to-oldest Begins replication with the most recent backup first.
l
largest-to-smallest Begins replication with the largest backup first.
l
smallest-to-largest Begins replication with the smallest backup first.
--use-pool-based={true | false}
If true, enables pool-based replication mode, which replicates all client backups in parallel when replicating from one Data Domain storage system to another.
--vsr-plug-in-ids= plug-in-ids
If --optimize-vsr is set to true, this option lists plug-in IDs for plug-ins that should use Virtual Synthetic Replication (VSR) optimization. By default, the NDMP and VMware plugins use VSR optimization. No other plug-ins are supported.
--within={days | weeks | months | years}=n
Replicates backups that occurred within this most recent days, weeks, months, or years, where n is a positive integer. For example, supply --within=months=3 to replicate three months' worth of backups for each client.
Avamar-only options Avamar-only options access advanced functionality that is normally reserved for use by EMC personnel only. Misuse of these advanced options can cause loss of data. If you are unsure about any aspect of these options, contact EMC Customer Support for more information before using them. The following Avamar-only options are available for the avrepl command. Table 83 Avamar-only advanced options for the avrepl command
Option
Description
--bindir=path
Specifies the directory that contains Avamar binary files. The default value is /usr/local/avamar/bin.
--[avtar]exp-delta={days | weeks | months | years}=n
Changes replicated backup expiration dates on the destination server by the specified number (n) of days, weeks, months, or years. The value can be either a positive or negative integer. For example, supply --[avtar]exp-delta=days=-2 to decrease the backup expiration dates on the destination server by two days. Do not use --[avtar]exp-delta with --[avtar]expires.
--[avtar]expiration-policy=type=period
Replicates backups of a specific retention type within the specified period, where type is one of the following values: l
dailies
l
weeklies
l
monthlies
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Table 83 Avamar-only advanced options for the avrepl command (continued)
Option
Description l
yearlies
and period is one of the following values: l
days=n
l
weeks=n
l
months=n
l
years=n
and n is a positive integer. For example, supply -[avtar]expiration-policy=dailies=years=2 to replicate two years' worth of daily backups for each client. The --[avtar]expiration-policy option takes precedence over --[avtar]expires. --[avtar]label=name --f=name --[avtar]label-pattern=pattern
--[avtar]sequencenumber=n --[avtar]labelnumber=n
Specifies the labels of the backups to replicate. Separate multiple values with a comma. Replicates backups with a label that matches the specified pattern. Common glob operators (wildcards) such as asterisk (*) and question mark (?) are allowed. Separate multiple patterns by commas, such as ----[avtar]labelpattern=temp,tmp. You can also specify the ---[avtar]label-pattern option multiple times in a single command. Specifies the sequence number of the backup to replicate. Separate multiple entries with a comma.
--[avtar]throttle=n
Controls the rate at which the underlying avtar process sends data to the server. If you specify this option, avtar pauses after sending each packet to ensure that network usage does not exceed the specified maximum bandwidth in megabits per second (Mbps). For example, -[avtar]throttle=5 uses half of a 10 Mbps connection, and --[avtar]throttle=0.772 restricts usage to half of a T1 link.
--[replscript]exclude=pattern
Excludes domains or clients that contain pattern from replication, where pattern is a matching pattern in the domain or client name. Common glob operators (wildcards) such as asterisk (*) and question mark (?) are allowed. For example, specify --[replscript]exclude=spot to exclude any domain or client with a name that contains the pattern spot. Specify --[replscript]exclude=/clients/ to exclude all clients in the /clients domain. Separate multiple patterns by commas, such as -[replscript]exclude=spot,/clients/. You can also specify the --[replscript]exclude option multiple times in a single command to specify more than one pattern.
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Table 83 Avamar-only advanced options for the avrepl command (continued)
Option
Description
--[replscript]forcecreate={true | false}
Specify true to force the creation of all source server accounts on the destination server, even if no data for an account is in the replication. The default value is false, which creates accounts on the destination server only for clients that replicate data.
--[replscript]force-move={1 | 0}
Specify 1 (true) to force a move to the target server backup account. Specify 0 (false) if you do not want to force a move.
--[replscript]fullcopy={true | false}
Specify true to assert full root-to-root replication mode, which creates a complete logical copy of an entire source server on the destination server. The replicated data is not copied to the REPLICATE domain but is added directly to the root domain as if the source clients had registered with the destination server. Source server data that is replicated in this manner is fully modifiable on the destination server.
--[replscript]globalcid={true | false}
Specify true to use global client IDs (CIDs) during replication. Global CIDs are primarily used to enable fast failovers from one server to another after a root-to-root replication. true is the default setting.
--[replscript]reportonly={true | false}
Specify true to assert report-only operational mode. Reportonly operational mode is used to predetermine the amount of storage a replication activity might consume on a destination server by running the replication job without actually saving any data to the destination server.
--[replscript]restore={true | false}
Specify true to assert restore operational mode. If you previously replicated a source Avamar server to a destination Avamar server, you can run avrepl from the destination server and supply this command with the -[replscript]dpnname=original_source_server option to restore that data to an Avamar server.
--[replscript]small-client-mb=n
Threshold in MB before which the new data for a client is considered “small.” The default setting is 128 MB of new data. Specify 0 to disable this optimization.
--rechunk={disable | enable | default}
Controls whether replicated data should be rechunked to maximize data deduplication on the destination server. Use one of the following values: l
disable — Do not rechunk data before storing on the destination server.
l
enable — Rechunk data before storing on the destination server to maximize data deduplication.
l
default — Automatically rechunk data when source and destination server chunking parameters are different.
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Help option The --help option displays a list of available options for the avrepl command: avrepl --help
Version option The --version option displays the software version of the avrepl command: avrepl --version
Target list To replicate specific clients or Avamar domains, include a list of the clients and domains at the end of the avrepl command. Separate multiple entries with a space. If you do not supply a list, then the replication includes all client backups on the source Avamar server.
Numeric plug-in descriptors Some command options require one or more numeric plug-in descriptors as values. Valid numeric plug-in descriptors are listed in the following table. Table 84 Numeric plug-in descriptors
Descriptor
Plug-in name 1000 Linux avagent 1001 Linux avtar 1002 Linux Oracle RMAN 1003 Linux NDMP 1009 Linux DB2 1014 Linux Lotus 1016 Linux VMware image 1019 Linux VMware File Level Restore (FLR) 1024 Linux extended retention 1025 Linux extended retention restore 1029 Linux Sybase 1030 Linux SAP 1034 Linux extended retention import 1035 Linux VDR Migration 1038 Linux VMware image restore 1039 Linux vApp image 2000 Oracle Solaris avagent 2001 Oracle Solaris avtar 2002 Oracle Solaris RMAN
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Table 84 Numeric plug-in descriptors (continued)
Descriptor
Plug-in name 2009 Oracle Solaris DB2 2014 Oracle Solaris Lotus 2029 Oracle Solaris Sybase 2030 Oracle Solaris SAP 3000 Windows avagent 3001 Windows avtar 3002 Windows Oracle RMAN 3004 Windows Exchange message 3005 Windows Exchange database 3006 Windows SQL 3009 Windows DB2 3011 Windows Exchange 2007 database 3012 Windows Exchange 2007 web 3014 Windows Lotus 3015 Windows VSS 3016 Windows VMware image 3017 Windows MOSS 3018 Windows Exchange VSS 3019 Windows VMware File Level Restore (FLR) 3026 Windows MOSS VSS 3027 Windows Exchange Granular Level Restore (GLR) 3028 Windows MOSS Granular Level Restore (GLR) 3029 Windows Sybase 3030 Windows SAP 3032 Windows Hyper-V VSS 3033 Windows Hyper-V Granular Level Restore (GLR) 3036 Windows cluster file system 3041 Windows VMware Granular Level Restore (GLR) 4000 HP-UX avagent 4001 HP-UX avtar
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Table 84 Numeric plug-in descriptors (continued)
Descriptor
Plug-in name 4002 HP-UX Oracle RMAN 4009 HP-UX DB2 4029 HP-UX Sybase 4030 HP-UX SAP 5000 IBM AIX avagent 5001 IBM AIX avtar 5002 IBM AIX Oracle RMAN 5009 IBM AIX DB2 5014 IBM AIX Lotus 5029 IBM AIX Sybase 5030 IBM AIX SAP 6000 Mac OSX avagent 6001 Mac OSX avtar 7003 NetApp NDMP 8003 EMC Celerra NDMP 10000 Novell NetWare avagent 10001 Novell NetWare avtar 10003 Novell NetWare NDMP 11000 FreeBSD avagent 11001 FreeBSD avtar 12000 SCO OpenServer avagent 12001 SCO OpenServer avtar 13000 SCO UnixWare avagent 13001 SCO UnixWare avtar 14003 EMC Isilon NDMP
CLI examples Review the avrepl command examples for details on how to use options to control replication behavior. Specify the following options with the avrepl command:
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Table 85 Required options for the avrepl command
Option
Description
--operation=replicate
Command operation for avrepl.
--[replscript]dpnname=source_server
Fully qualified domain name of the source Avamar server.
--[avtar]id=user@auth
User account for the source Avamar server. The default value is repluser. To use the repluser account, you can omit -[avtar]id and specify only the password for the repluser account with the -password option.
--password=password
Password for the user account on the source Avamar server.
-Destination Avamar server. [replscript]dstaddr=destination_server --[replscript]dstid=repluser
Specifies the Avamar user ID and domain to use for authentication on the destination Avamar server. Note
The repluser account is the only user account that is known to work reliably on all destination servers. --dstpassword=password --dstap=password
Specifies the password for repluser account on the destination Avamar server.
--dstpswd=password
If the firewall is installed and enabled on the destination server, then specify the -[replscript]dstencrypt option with the correct encryption method, which is either ssl or tls. Replicating all client backups The following command replicates all client backups from the avamar-1.example.com source server to the replicationserver-1.example.com destination server. The user account on the source server is jdoe@avamar (the jdoe user account with the Avamar internal authentication system), and the password is password. The user account on the destination server is repluser, and the password is password. avrepl --operation=replicate -[replscript]dpnname=avamar-1.example.com --[avtar]id=jdoe@avamar -password=password --[replscript]dstaddr=replicationserver-1.example.com --[replscript]dstid=repluser -dstpassword=password --[replscript]dstencrypt=ssl
Replicating backups for specific clients or domains The following command replicates all backups for the client1 and client2 clients, as well as for all clients in the domain3 domain. CLI examples
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avrepl --operation=replicate -[replscript]dpnname=avamar-1.example.com --[avtar]id=jdoe@avamar -password=password --[replscript]dstaddr=replicationserver-1.example.com --[replscript]dstid=repluser -dstpassword=password --[replscript]dstencrypt=ssl client1 client2 domain3
Replicating specific types of backups The following command replicates all full (level 0) backups that occurred after February 1, 2014 for the client1 and client2 clients. avrepl --operation=replicate -[replscript]dpnname=avamar-1.example.com --[avtar]id=jdoe@avamar -ap=password --[replscript]dstaddr=replication-server-1.example.com -[replscript]dstid=repluser --dstpassword=password -[replscript]dstencrypt=ssl --[avtar]after=2014-02-01 --backuptype=level0_full client1 client2
Monitoring replication Monitor replication to ensure that it is completing successfully and to troubleshoot issues. The Activity Monitor in Avamar Administrator enables you to view status information for both on-demand and scheduled replication activity.
Monitoring replication in Avamar Administrator Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Activity launcher button. The Activity window appears. 2. Click the Activity Monitor tab. A list of all activities appears. 3. To filter the results to display only replication activity, select Actions > Filter. The Filter Activity dialog box appears. 4. Select All Replication Source & Destination from the Type list. 5. Click OK. 6. To view statistics for a replication activity, select the activity and then select Actions > View Statistics. The Replicate Statistics dialog box appears. The Details tab provides detailed information from the v_repl_activities database view. The Backups tab provides a list of backups that were included in the replication operation. The Errors tab shows any errors that occurred during the replication operation. 7. Click Close.
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Canceling a replication task You can cancel a policy-based replication task in the Activity Monitor any time before it completes. The cancellation might take five minutes or longer. The replication may complete before the cancellation finishes. Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Activity launcher button. The Activity window appears. 2. Click the Activity Monitor tab. A list of all activities appears. 3. Select the replication task from the list. 4. Select Actions > Cancel Activity. A confirmation message appears. 5. Click Yes.
Restoring by using a replica on a destination system Restore replicated data from a client in the REPLICATE domain of a destination server. The restore target can be any client that is a member of a domain on the destination server, including the client that is the source of the original backup. Use this method to restore data from a replica when the source Avamar server is unavailable and when Replicas at Source is not enabled on the source Avamar system. Procedure 1. Register and activate the client that is the restore target with the destination Avamar server that manages the replicated data: a. On a Windows client, right-click the Avamar system tray icon and select Manage > Activate Client. The Activate Client Setup dialog box appears. b. Type the hostname of the destination Avamar server in the Administrator Server Address box. c. Type 28001 in the Administrator Server Port box. d. Type the Avamar domain for the client in the Client Domain box. e. Click Activate. Client registration on page 54 provides instructions for other registration methods. You can also use Avamar Client Manager to activate clients with the destination server. Moving a client to a new server on page 328 provides instructions. 2. In Avamar Administrator, click the Backup & Restore launcher button. The Backup, Restore and Manage window appears. 3. Click the Restore tab. The upper left pane contains a list of domains. Canceling a replication task
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4. Select the REPLICATE domain, and then select the hostname of the source Avamar server. 5. Select the domain that contains the client that is the source of the original backup. 6. Select the client from the list. 7. Click the By Date tab or the By File/Folder tab and select the data to restore. Note
Restoring data from a backup on page 134 provides alternate methods to find a backup and perform a restore. 8. Select Actions > Restore Now. The Restore Options dialog box appears. 9. Click Browse next to the Restore Destination Client box, and then browse to and select the client that is the restore target. Do not select a client in the REPLICATE domain as the restore target. Select a client that is listed in the clients domain, or in another domain on the Avamar server. 10. Select the plug-in to use for the restore from the Restore Plug-in list. 11. From the Avamar encryption method list, select an encryption method for client/server data transfer during the restore. Note
The encryption technology and bit strength for a client/server connection depend on several factors, including the client operating system and Avamar server version. The EMC Avamar Product Security Guide provides details. 12. Select either Restore everything to a different location or Restore everything to multiple locations. 13. Click Set Destination below the Items Marked for Restore list, and then select the destination paths for the data to restore. 14. To include plug-in options with this restore, click More Options, and then configure the settings. 15. Click OK on the Restore Options dialog box. The Restore Request dialog box indicates that the restore was started. 16. Click Close. 17. (Optional) Change the registration of the restore target client back to the source Avamar server. Perform this step when the source Avamar server is available.
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MCS configuration parameters to support Replicas at Source Configure MCS management of Replicas at Source through configuration parameters in mcserver.xml. Changing the configuration of Replicas at Source on page 275 describes how to change mcserver.xml. The following table describes the Replicas at Source parameters in mcserver.xml. Table 86 MCS configuration parameters to support Replicas at Source
Container
Parameter
Default value
repl
external_sync_interval 120 _minute
Sets the number of minutes between tries to synchronize the replica metadata from the destination system to the MCS database on the source Avamar system. Setting get_backups_from_exter nal_server to true overrides this parameter.
repl
allow_dest_replica_man false agement
Set to true to permit synchronization of replica metadata between the remote destination system and the source Avamar server. Set to false to disable synchronization and effectively disable the Replicas at Source feature.
repl
get_backups_from_exter false nal_server
Set this value to true to override the default behavior and force MCS to obtain replica metadata directly from the destination system. By default, MCS obtains replica metadata from the destination system by periodic synchronization. This synchronization writes the metadata to the local MCS database on the source Avamar system. Avamar Administrator accesses the local database to provide replica information.
repl
show_external_backups
true
Description
Set to true to enable the listing of replicas on the Restore tab. Set to false to
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Table 86 MCS configuration parameters to support Replicas at Source (continued)
Container
Parameter
Default value
Description disable the listing of replicas on the Restore tab.
ebms
ebms_home
lib/mcebms.war
Sets the location of the web archive file for the external backup manager service.
ebms
ebms_descriptor
/WEB-INF/web.xml
Sets the location of the XML descriptor file for the external backup manager service.
ebms
ebms_port
9090
Sets the inbound (listening) port for the external backup manager service.
ebms
ebms_use_https
true
Set to true to force the external backup manager service to use SSL/TLS encryption for communication with destination systems.
mon
ebmsIntervalMinutes
720
Sets the number of minutes between checks of the state of the Remote Backup Manager Service.
mon
ebmsFailEventIntervalM 120 inutes
mon
ebmsMonitorTimeout
repl
allow_manage_remote_ba true ckups_at_source
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Sets the number of minutes between published updates of Remote Backup Manager Service stop events and fail events. Sets the number of minutes to try to check the state of the Remote Backup Manager Service. Set to true to permit management of replicas on the source Avamar server. Management includes: Delete, Change Expiration, and Change Retention. Set to false to disable management of replicas on the source Avamar server.
Replication
Changing the configuration of Replicas at Source To change the configuration of the Replicas at Source feature change the parameter values in mcserver.xml. This topic describes how to change the Replicas at Source configuration parameters in mcserver.xml. Refer to MCS configuration parameters to support Replicas at Source on page 273 for descriptions of the configuration parameters. Procedure 1. Open a command shell and log in by using one of the following methods: l
For a single-node server, log in to the server as admin.
l
For a multi-node server: a. Log in to the utility node as admin. b. Load the admin OpenSSH key by typing: ssh-agent bash ssh-add ~admin/.ssh/admin_key
2. Stop the MCS by typing the following command: dpnctl stop mcs
3. Change the working directory by typing the following command: cd /usr/local/avamar/var/mc/server_data/prefs
4. Open mcserver.xml in a text editor. 5. Find the container element of the parameter, and within that element, find the parameter. 6. Change the value of the parameter. 7. Save the change and close the file. 8. Start the MCS and the scheduler by typing: dpnctl start mcs dpnctl start sched
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This chapter includes the following topics: l l l l l l l l l
Overview of the Avamar server software update process................................ 278 Installing and configuring the Avamar Downloader Service............................... 281 Downloading new packages from the EMC repository..................................... 282 Downloading and installing packages on the Avamar server............................. 282 Viewing a list of installation packages on the Avamar server............................ 283 Deleting packages from the Avamar server...................................................... 285 Viewing the history of installations...................................................................286 Using the legacy Avamar Downloader Service..................................................288 Troubleshooting Avamar Downloader Service issues........................................295
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Overview of the Avamar server software update process EMC periodically provides updates and hotfixes for the Avamar server software. EMC stores update packages and hotfix packages in the EMC repository. Use the Avamar Downloader Service to download the installation packages to an Avamar server, or to a local Windows server and push the packages to an Avamar server. Then use Avamar Installation Manager to install the packages on the Avamar server. When required, you can remove old installation packages from the local repository on the Avamar server and then download them via the Avamar Downloader Service again. If Internet access is unavailable, manually copy packages to the /data01/avamar/ repo/packages directory on the utility node or single-node server instead of using the Avamar Downloader Service. Then use Avamar Installation Manager to install the packages on the Avamar server.
Avamar Downloader Service Prior to Avamar release 7.3, the Avamar Downloader Service was installed on a separate standalone Microsoft Windows computer. Beginning with Avamar release 7.3, the downloader service is also available on the Avamar server, integrated with the Avamar Installation Manager. You can use either the legacy downloader service on a standalone Microsoft Windows computer or use the new downloader service integrated with the Avamar Installation Manager. EMC Customer Support typically installs the Avamar Downloader Service software during the installation or upgrade of an Avamar server. You can also download the Avamar Downloader Service from the Avamar server and install the software yourself. If the Avamar Downloader Service computer is on a private network with restrictions on access to the EMC repository server, then you can set up a proxy server for communication between the Avamar Downloader Service computer and the EMC repository server. Security The Avamar Downloader Service encrypts outgoing communication to the EMC repository by using SSL (Secure Socket Layers) over an HTTP connection. The Avamar Downloader Service validates each package that it downloads to ensure the package has been correctly signed and transmitted.
Legacy Avamar Downloader Service The legacy Avamar Downloader Service computer is a standalone Microsoft Windows computer with network access to EMC sites on the Internet and to all internal Avamar servers. The legacy Avamar Downloader Service runs as a Windows service to monitor the EMC repository. A desktop shortcut, task tray icon, and Windows Start menu items provide access to the legacy Avamar Downloader Service user interface, which enables you to configure the downloader service and check the EMC repository for installation packages. The Avamar Downloader Service monitor contains status messages for the service. The legacy Avamar Downloader Service accepts incoming requests for installation packages only from Avamar systems that are on a known systems list.
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Local repository The C:\Program Files\EMC\Avamar Downloader Service\repository directory on the Avamar Downloader Service computer serves as the local repository for downloaded installation packages. Note
Do not rename client installation packages. The Avamar push upgrade mechanisms are incompatible with renamed packages. The manifest.xml file in the local repository contains a list of all server, client, and workflow packages that are currently available for download from the EMC repository.
AvInstaller and Avamar Installation Manager The AvInstaller process controls the download and installation process for installation packages on the Avamar server. Use Avamar Installation Manager to manage the AvInstaller process. Installation EMC Customer Support installs AvInstaller during the installation or upgrade of an Avamar server. AvInstaller is installed on the utility node in a multi-node environment or the server in a single-node environment. Local repository AvInstaller uses the /data01/avamar/repo/packages directory on the Avamar utility node or single-node server serves as the local repository for downloaded installation packages. AvInstaller also manages a temporary directory that is used to extract the packages during installation. To determine if new packages are available, the Avamar Downloader Service automatically downloads the manifest file from the EMC repository once a day. If the legacy Avamar Downloader Service is being used, it sends the updated manifest file to the local repository for each known Avamar system. AvInstaller uses the manifest file to obtain current information about all software packages that are available for download from the EMC repository. User interface Use the Avamar Installation Manager user interface to manage AvInstaller. Avamar Installation Manager is installed automatically with AvInstaller. Avamar Installation Manager provides the following features: l
Download software packages via the Avamar Downloader Service.
l
Install the packages on the Avamar server.
l
View a list of the software packages in the repository of the Avamar server.
l
Delete old installation packages from the Avamar server to reclaim storage.
l
View the software installation history for the Avamar server.
Checking the status of the AvInstaller process To check the status of the AvInstaller process: Procedure 1. Open a command shell and log in by using one of the following methods: l
For a single-node server, log in to the server as admin.
l
For a multi-node server: AvInstaller and Avamar Installation Manager
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a. Log in to the utility node as admin. b. Load the admin OpenSSH key by typing: ssh-agent bash ssh-add ~admin/.ssh/admin_key
2. Type dpnctl status avi. Output from the dpnctl status avi command should look similar to the following: dpnctl: INFO: avinstaller status: up.
Stopping the AvInstaller process To stop the AvInstaller process: Procedure 1. Open a command shell and log in by using one of the following methods: l
For a single-node server, log in to the server as admin.
l
For a multi-node server: a. Log in to the utility node as admin. b. Load the admin OpenSSH key by typing: ssh-agent bash ssh-add ~admin/.ssh/admin_key
2. Type avinstaller.pl --stop. 3. Verify that the AvInstaller process has stopped by typing avinstaller.pl -test. Output from the avinstaller.pl --test command should look similar to the following: Avistart process: INFO: AVI is not running.
Restarting the AvInstaller process To restart the AvInstaller process: Procedure 1. Open a command shell and log in by using one of the following methods: l
For a single-node server, log in to the server as admin.
l
For a multi-node server: a. Log in to the utility node as admin. b. Load the admin OpenSSH key by typing: ssh-agent bash ssh-add ~admin/.ssh/admin_key
2. Type avinstaller.pl --start. 3. Verify that the AvInstaller process is running by typing avinstaller.pl -test. 280
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Output from the avinstaller.pl --test command should look similar to the following: Avistart process pid: INFO: AVI is running.
Installing and configuring the Avamar Downloader Service With Avamar release 7.3, the Avamar Downloader Service is installed as part of the Avamar software installation process. Using the legacy Avamar Downloader Service on page 288 contains information about installing and configuring the legacy Avamar Downloader Service software on a standalone Microsoft Windows machine.
Configuring the Avamar Downloader Service Configure Avamar Downloader Service before using it to download packages from the EMC repository server. Configuration tasks include providing login information for EMC Online Support, specifying proxy server settings. Procedure 1. Open a web browser and log in to Avamar Installation Manager: a. Type the following URL: https://Avamar-server/avi where Avamar-server is the IP address or resolvable hostname of the Avamar server. The Avamar Installation Manager login page appears. b. Type the username of the Avamar administrator user account in the User Name field and the password in the Password field. c. Click Login. 2. Click Configuration. The Configuration window opens. 3. Specify the EMC Online Support Username and Password that you received with the EMC Avamar license at the time of product purchase. 4. (Optional) Select Enable Proxy to enable a proxy server if the downloader service requires a proxy server to pass through the firewall when communicating with EMC Online Support. Specify the hostname or IP address and the port number for the proxy server. a. Specify the hostname or IP address and the port number for the proxy server. b. If the proxy server requires authentication, enter the Username and Password for the proxy server. 5. Click Save.
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Downloading new packages from the EMC repository You can check the EMC repository for new server, client, and workflow packages, and then download the packages to install them. Procedure 1. Open a web browser and log in to Avamar Installation Manager: a. Type the following URL: https://Avamar-server/avi where Avamar-server is the IP address or resolvable hostname of the Avamar server. The Avamar Installation Manager login page appears. b. Type the username of the Avamar administrator user account in the User Name field and the password in the Password field. c. Click Login. 2. Click Configuration. The Configuration window opens. 3. Click Check for New Packages. The Check for New Packages dialog box appears and provides status messages while the Avamar Downloader Service downloads the manifest file from the EMC repository server to the local repository on the Windows server and to Avamar servers on the known systems list. A check mark next to a status message indicates that the process was successful. An X next to a status message indicates that the process failed. 4. To view details about failed processes, double-click the X next to the status message. 5. Click Close on the Check for New Packages dialog box.
Downloading and installing packages on the Avamar server Use Avamar Installation Manager to download and install software packages, patches, and hotfixes. Before you begin Use a computer with at least 2 GB of RAM. Procedure 1. Open a web browser and log in to Avamar Installation Manager: a. Type the following URL: https://Avamar-server/avi where Avamar-server is the IP address or the resolvable hostname of the Avamar server. The Avamar Installation Manager login page appears.
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b. Type the username of the Avamar administrator user account in the User Name field and the password in the Password field. c. Click Login. 2. If a Download button appears for the package, click the button to download the package to the local repository. After the download completes, the Download button is replaced with an Install button and a Delete button. 3. To start the installation, click Install. The background color for the package changes to yellow and the initialization begins. When the initialization process completes, the Installation Setup page appears. 4. Provide installation setup information. Some packages do not require setup information. 5. To provide advanced settings, select Show advanced settings. 6. Click Continue. The Installation Progress page displays the status of the installation. NOTICE
If you close the browser during the installation of a package, the installation pauses but does not stop. To resume the installation, open a browser window and log in to Avamar Installation Manager. The installation continues from the point that the browser window closed. 7. Respond to all installation prompts. After the installation completes, the Install button becomes a Run button for workflow packages. The Run button enables you to run the workflow package again.
Viewing a list of installation packages on the Avamar server View a list of installation packages in the repository on an Avamar server on the Repository tab of Avamar Installation Manager. Procedure 1. Open a web browser and log in to Avamar Installation Manager: a. Type the following URL: https://Avamar-server/avi where Avamar-server IP address or resolvable hostname of the Avamar server. The Avamar Installation Manager login page appears. b. Type the username of the Avamar administrator user account in the User Name field and the password in the Password field. c. Click Login. 2. Click Repository. The Repository tab appears. Viewing a list of installation packages on the Avamar server
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3. (Optional) Toggle the sort order of the packages in the list by clicking a column heading.
Uploading installation packages to the Avamar server Upload packages to the Avamar server from the local hard drive or other attached medium such as a flash drive using the Package Upload feature on the Repository tab Procedure 1. Open a web browser and log in to Avamar Installation Manager: a. Type the following URL: https://Avamar-server/avi where Avamar-server is the IP address or resolvable hostname of the Avamar server. The Avamar Installation Manager login page appears. b. Type the username of the Avamar administrator user account in the User Name field and the password in the Password field. c. Click Login. 2. Click Repository. The Repository tab appears. 3. Click Browse to select a package for upload. Note
Versions 9 through 11 of the Internet Explorer browser support a maximum upload size of 4 GB. Versions 6 through 8 support a maximum upload size of 2 GB. Once the package upload completes, it automatically appears in the Repository table.
Repository tab headings The packages in the repository on an Avamar server appear on the Repository tab of Avamar Installation Manager. The most recently installed package appears at the bottom of the list. The following table describes the information that appears for each package. Table 87 Information on the Repository tab
284
Heading
Description
FileName
The name of the package.
Checksum
The checksum that the AvInstaller service calculated for the package. Compare this data with the checksum in the manifest file.
Status
The status of the package:
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Table 87 Information on the Repository tab (continued)
Heading
Description l
Waiting — The AvInstaller service is copying the package to the EMC repository.
l
Checksum — The AvInstaller service is calculating the package checksum.
l
Unsigning — The AvInstaller service is verifying the package signature.
l
Extracting — The AvInstaller service is extracting the package from the tarball.
l
Accepted — The package is fully downloaded to the EMC repository and is ready to be installed.
l
Rejected — Either the package was rejected due to a problem in transit or it was downloaded successfully but was not applicable to the system in its current state.
Note
A brief description of the status.
Last Updated
The date and time of the last status update.
Deleting packages from the Avamar server After you successfully install a software package, the AvInstaller service automatically deletes the package from the repository on the Avamar system. Manually delete packages that are not installed. Only EMC Customer Support can delete restricted packages. Procedure 1. Open a web browser and log in to Avamar Installation Manager: a. Type the following URL: https://Avamar-server/avi where Avamar-server IP address or resolvable hostname of the Avamar server. The Avamar Installation Manager login page appears. b. Type the username of the Avamar administrator user account in the User Name field and the password in the Password field. c. Click Login. 2. In the Package List, select a package. 3. Click the Delete button next to the package. A confirmation message appears. Deleting packages from the Avamar server
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4. Click Yes.
Viewing the history of installations You can view a history of the software installations, updates, and hotfixes for an Avamar server on the History tab of Avamar Installation Manager. Procedure 1. Open a web browser and log in to Avamar Installation Manager: a. Type the following URL: https://Avamar-server/avi where Avamar-server IP address or resolvable hostname of the Avamar server. The Avamar Installation Manager login page appears. b. Type the username of the Avamar administrator user account in the User Name field and the password in the Password field. c. Click Login. 2. Click History. The History tab appears. 3. (Optional) Toggle the sort order of the packages in the list by clicking the heading of any column. 4. (Optional) Filter the list of packages by selecting a filter value from the Show list. 5. (Optional) View details about a package in the list by selecting the row for the package. 6. (Optional) View the log file for a packages that has a processing status by clicking Logs in the Details table. 7. (Optional) Export the log information to a Microsoft Excel or PDF file by clicking Export.
Installation history information History columns The following table describes the information that appears on the Avamar Installation Manager History tab for each package. Table 88 Information on the History tab
Heading
Description
Title
The name of the package.
Version
The version of Avamar server software.
Description
A brief description of the package.
Status
The status of the package: l
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Available — The package is in the manifest and is available to download.
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Table 88 Information on the History tab (continued)
Heading
Last Updated
Description l
Completed — The package installation completed.
l
Processing — A package installation is in progress.
l
Ready — The package is ready to install.
l
Removed — The package has been deleted from the Avamar grid.
The date and time of the last status update for the package.
Details columns The following table describes the information that appears in the Details table in the lower right pane of the History tab. Table 89 Details on the History tab
Details table column heading
Description
Status
Status details for a package: l
Available — The package is in the manifest and is available to download.
l
Ready — The package is ready to install.
l
Deployed — The start of the installation initialization.
l
Deploying — The start of the package deployment.
l
Processing — The start of the package installation.
l
Completed — The completion of the package installation.
l
Removed — The removal of the package.
Last Updated
The corresponding date and time of the package status message.
Logs
Displays a Logs button for packages with a processing status. Click Logs to open a window that provides details about the tasks that are performed to install the package.
Installation history information
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Using the legacy Avamar Downloader Service The following topics explain how to prepare for, install, configure, and use the legacy Avamar Downloader Service software on a Microsoft Windows system, as well as how to update and uninstall the software.
Legacy Avamar Downloader Service installation requirements The legacy Avamar Downloader Service is available as either a 32-bit or 64-bit application. You install the legacy Avamar Downloader Service on a Microsoft Windows server that has network access to the Avamar server. This system can be a desktop or laptop system. The following table provides the installation requirements for the computer on which you install the legacy Avamar Downloader Service. Table 90 Installation requirements for the legacy Avamar Downloader Service
Software/hardware
Requirement
Operating system
l
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 (64-bit only)
l
Microsoft Windows Server 2008
l
Microsoft Windows 8
l
Microsoft Windows 7
l
Microsoft Windows Vista
File system
Any file system
Hard drive space
Minimum of 12 MB
RAM
Minimum of 20 MB
Downloading the legacy Avamar Downloader Service software Download the legacy Avamar Downloader Service software from the EMC Avamar Web Restore page on the Avamar server. Procedure 1. Log in to the Windows host system as an administrator. 2. Type the URL of the Avamar server into the web browser: http://Avamar_server
where Avamar_server is the Avamar system network hostname (as defined in DNS) or IP address. The EMC Avamar Web Restore page appears. 3. Click Downloads. The Downloads. list appears. 4. Click + next to the platform heading for the Windows computer. 288
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5. Click + next to the operating system heading for the Windows computer. 6. Click the link for AvamarDownloaderService-windows-platform-version.exe. where: l
platform is the type of Windows platform (32-bit or 64-bit).
l
version is the version of the Avamar server software.
A dialog box prompts you to either run the file or save it. 7. Save the installation file to a temporary directory.
Installing the legacy Avamar Downloader Service software Procedure 1. Log in to the Windows host computer as an administrator. 2. Navigate to the directory that contains AvamarDownloaderServicewindows-platform-version.exe, and then double-click the file to start the installation. The setup wizard opens, starting with the welcome page. 3. Click Next. The Destination Folder page appears. 4. Specify the folder for the Avamar Downloader Service installation: l
To accept the default folder, C:\Program Files\EMC\Avamar Downloader Service, click Next.
l
To specify a different folder, click Change and then browse to the folder. Then click Next.
The Ready to install Avamar Downloader Service page appears. 5. Click Install. The Installing Avamar Downloader Service page appears and displays the progress of the installation. After the installation completes, the Completed the Avamar Downloader Service Setup Wizard page appears. 6. Click Finish. The installation adds an Avamar Downloader Service icon to the Control Panel and the system tray. The installation also adds the AvamarDownloaderService to Windows Services.
Enabling HTTPS HTTPS functionality must be enabled on the Microsoft Windows computer hosting the legacy Avamar Downloader Service. In some circumstances, HTTPS might already be enabled on the computer. If not, perform the following steps on the computer. Procedure 1. Select Control Panel > Windows Firewall > Advanced settings. The Windows Firewall with Advanced Security console appears. 2. In the navigation pane, click Outbound Rules. 3. In the Actions pane, click New Rule. The New Outbound Rule Wizard appears. Installing the legacy Avamar Downloader Service software
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4. Select Port, and then click Next. 5. Select Specific remote ports, enter 443 in the text box, and click Next. 6. Click Allow the connection and clickNext. 7. Accept the default settings and click Next. 8. Provide a name for the outbound rule (for instance, “Avamar Downloader Service”) and click Finish. The New Outbound Rule Wizard appears. 9. In the Outbound Rules pane, right-click the outbound rule you created above (should be at the top of list) and select Properties. The Properties window appears. 10. Select the Programs and Services tab. 11. Click Settings. 12. Select Apply to this service. 13. From the list of services, select Avamar Downloader Service and click OK. 14. Click Apply and thenOK. 15. Close the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security console.
Configuring the legacy Avamar Downloader Service Configure Avamar Downloader Service before using it to download packages from the EMC repository server. Configuration tasks include verifying the connection, building a known systems list, and specifying proxy server settings. Before you begin Install the Avamar Downloader Service software. Procedure 1. On the Avamar Downloader Service computer, right-click the Avamar Downloader Service task tray icon and select Configure Service. The Avamar Downloader Service configuration wizard opens, starting with the welcome page. 2. (Optional) To use the local version of the manifest.xml file, select Disable Internet access. Use only local files. Use this option when the Avamar Downloader Service computer cannot connect over the Internet with the EMC repository. 3. On the welcome page of the configuration wizard, click Next. The EMC Credentials page appears. 4. On this page, specify the EMC Online Support Username and Password (plus confirmation) that you received with the EMC Avamar license at the time of product purchase, and then click Next. The Proxy Configuration page appears. Note
To edit EMC credentials later, open the Show Advanced Settings window by right-clicking the task tray icon and selecting Show Advanced Settings.
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5. (Optional) Specify the hostname or IP address and the port number for the proxy server as well as EMC credentials: Username, Password, and Confirm Password. Supply proxy server information to use a proxy server as an intermediary for requests from the Avamar Downloader Service computer to the EMC repository server. The page also allows you to select Use Authentication. For example, use a proxy server when the Avamar Downloader Service computer is on a private network and access to the EMC repository server is restricted. 6. Click Next. The Avamar Systems page appears. 7. Click Add. The Avamar Downloader Service - Add Known System dialog box appears. 8. Specify the hostname, username, and password for an Avamar server: a. In the Hostname box, type the IP address or hostname for the Avamar server. b. In the Username box, type root to specify the Linux operating system root user. c. In the Password and Confirm Password boxes, type the password for the root user. 9. Click OK. When the configuration process cannot resolve the hostname, an informational message appears. Click Yes to add the system or No to cancel the add operation. You can add systems with unresolvable hostnames, such as offline systems, to the known systems list. 10. Add other Avamar servers. 11. After all Avamar servers have been added, click Next. The Review Configuration page appears. 12. Review the configuration details, and then click Finish. After you finish When required, rerun the configuration wizard to edit the hostname, IP address, or port number for a proxy server, or to edit the known systems list to add and remove Avamar servers.
Updating the legacy Avamar Downloader Service software Use the Avamar Downloader Service to check for updates of the Avamar Downloader Service software, and to download and install the updates. Procedure 1. Right-click Avamar Downloader Service task tray icon and select Check for Updates. If an update is available, the message Update is ready to install appears. If no updates are available, then the message Your software is up to date appears. Updating the legacy Avamar Downloader Service software
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The Avamar Downloader Service Updater dialog box appears. 2. When an update is available, click Install. TheAvamar Downloader Service setup wizard appears. 3. Follow the prompts to continue through the wizard and install the new software build.
Uninstalling the legacy Avamar Downloader Service Uninstall Avamar Downloader Service through the Windows Programs and Features console. Procedure 1. On the Avamar Downloader Service computer, close all running applications. 2. Open the Windows Programs and Features console from the Control Panel. 3. In the Name column, select Avamar Downloader Service. 4. Click Uninstall. Results The uninstall process removes all files, including file cache contents, configuration items, and Windows registry entries for the Avamar Downloader Service
Downloading new packages from the EMC repository You can check the EMC repository for new server, client, and workflow packages, and then download the packages to install them. Before you begin Ensure that the status of the Avamar Downloader Service is either OK or Waiting for configuration. Otherwise, you cannot check for new packages. Procedure 1. Right-click the Avamar Downloader Service task tray icon and select Check for New Packages. The Check for New Packages dialog box appears and provides status messages while the Avamar Downloader Service downloads the manifest file from the EMC repository server to the local repository on the Windows server and to Avamar servers on the known systems list. A check mark next to a status message indicates that the process was successful. An X next to a status message indicates that the process failed. 2. To view details about failed processes, double-click the X next to the status message. 3. Click Close on the Check for New Packages dialog box.
Viewing a list of packages available for download The manifest.xml file in the repository folder on the Avamar Downloader Service computer contains a list of software packages that are currently available for download from the EMC repository. Procedure 1. Right-click the Avamar Downloader Service task tray icon and select Open Repository. 292
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Windows Explorer opens and displays the C:\Program Files\EMC\Avamar Downloader Service\repository folder, which contains the manifest.xml file. 2. Open the manifest.xml to view the package information. Package names use the .avp file name extension and appear within tags.
Verifying connectivity with the EMC repository After editing repository connection settings, or after package download failures, verify that the Avamar Downloader Service computer can connect to the EMC repository server. Procedure 1. Right-click the Avamar Downloader Service task tray icon and select Run Diagnosis. The status of the process appears in the Run Diagnosis dialog box. An X next to a status message indicates a problem with the network connection, Click the X next to failures to view more information about the error in the Error Information dialog box. The Run Diagnosis dialog box appears, and the process to check network connectivity starts automatically. 2. (Optional) To stop the verification process before it completes, click Stop System Check. 3. When the verification completes, click Close.
Monitoring Avamar Downloader Service status The Avamar Downloader Service monitor automatically starts when you log in to the Avamar Downloader Service computer. Use the monitor to view the status of the Avamar Downloader Service. Procedure l
To view the status from the monitor, hover the mouse over the Avamar Downloader Service task tray icon. A popup window with a status message appears. The following table describes Avamar Downloader Service monitor status messages. Table 91 Avamar Downloader Service monitor status messages
Status message
Description
Avamar Downloader Service
Default status message.
Authentication Failure with the EMC Repository.
HTTP basic authentication failure.
Authentication Failure with one or more “Known Systems.”
HTTP basic authentication failure including: n
Failed communication with the EMC repository.
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Table 91 Avamar Downloader Service monitor status messages (continued)
Status message
Failed communication with one or more “Known Systems.”
Description n
SSL (Secure Socket Layers) handshake failed.
n
HTTP dropped connection.
n
HTTP NAK (negatively acknowledged message).
Possible causes: n
SSL handshake failed.
n
HTTP dropped connection.
n
HTTP NAK.
Failed file download from the EMC repository.
File transfer was aborted.
Failed file transfer to one or more known systems.
File transfer was aborted.
Network Error
HTTPS browser settings prevent the Avamar Downloader Service from requesting files from the Avamar Online Support site.
Out of space.
The Avamar Downloader Service file cache is full. To free up disk space, remove files from the local repository.
Running.
The service is running and communicating with all known systems as well as the EMC repository.
Socket failure on host computer.
Possible causes:
Waiting for configuration.
n
The host computer is out of socket resources.
n
A binding problem with the NIC.
n
Deadlock condition within Winsock.
The Avamar Downloader Service was installed, but not configured.
Stopping and starting the Avamar Downloader Service monitor The Avamar Downloader Service monitor starts automatically when you log in to the Avamar Downloader Service computer. Procedure
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l
To stop the monitor, right-click the Avamar Downloader Service task tray icon and select Exit.
l
To start the monitor, open the Windows Start menu and select All Programs > EMC Avamar Downloader Service version > Avamar Downloader Service Monitor.
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Troubleshooting Avamar Downloader Service issues Resolve common issues with the Avamar Downloader Service. Package download fails SYMPTOM: The utility node or the single-node server cannot access the Windows host computer, and a message similar to the following message appears when downloading a package. The selected package cannot be downloaded. RESOLUTION: Add a line to the /etc/hosts file on the utility node with the IP address, fully qualified domain name, and short name of the Avamar Downloader Service computer. SAMPLE ENTRY: 10.6.172.50 avamar-1.example.com avamar-1 Temporary IPv6 addresses cause package download to fail SYMPTOM: The Avamar Downloader Service fails to download a package and displays connection refused errors. POSSIBLE CAUSE: Temporary IPv6 addresses are in use on all operating systems. The connection refused errors are due to the use of temporary IPv6 addresses. Windows Vista, Windows 2008 Server, or later versions of Windows use temporary IPv6 addresses by default. RESOLUTION: To work around this issue, block temporary IPv6 addresses on the Avamar Downloader Service computer. Type each of the following netsh commands at the command prompt on the Avamar Downloader Service computer. Type each netsh command on a separate line. netsh interface ipv6 netsh interface ipv6 netsh interface ipv6 store=active netsh interface ipv6 store=persistent
set privacy state=disabled store=active set privacy state=disabled store=persistent set global randomizeidentifiers=disabled set global randomizeidentifiers=disabled
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CHAPTER 12 Avamar Client Manager
This chapter includes the following topics: l l l l l l l l
Overview of Avamar Client Manager................................................................ 298 Starting Avamar Client Manager.......................................................................301 Global tools...................................................................................................... 302 Overview........................................................................................................... 311 Clients.............................................................................................................. 315 Policies.............................................................................................................334 Queues.............................................................................................................336 Logs................................................................................................................. 337
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Overview of Avamar Client Manager Avamar Client Manager is a web-based management application that provides centralized Avamar client administration capabilities for larger businesses and enterprises. Avamar Client Manager facilitates the management of large numbers of Avamar clients. Avamar Client Manager works with Avamar clients on a supported native operating system and Avamar clients on a supported operating system running in a VMware virtual machine. Avamar Client Manager cannot work with Avamar clients through virtual center, virtual machine, or virtual proxy configurations. The Avamar Client Manager UI displays supported Avamar clients and hides all unsupported clients.
Connection security To secure data transmissions between a computer and the Avamar server, a secure connection is created using HTTPS. This form of the HTTP protocol encrypts messages before they are sent and decrypts them when they are received. HTTPS is used for all login transmissions and for all transmission of data during registration and activation operations. All attempts to access the Avamar server through the UI over standard HTTP protocol are redirected to HTTPS to prevent plain text transmissions.
Apache web server authentication The Avamar Client Manager UI uses only secure web pages, and an authentication warning appears in web browsers that access those pages unless you install a trusted public key certificate on the Apache web server that is provided with Avamar. The EMC Avamar Product Security Guide describes how to obtain and install a trusted public key certificate for the Apache web server.
Editing the session time-out period When a session has been running for 72 hours or more without any interaction between the web browser and the Avamar Client Manager server, Avamar Client Manager ends the session. The automatic session time-out protects the security of the assets accessible through Avamar Client Manager. You can increase or decrease the time-out period. When Avamar Client Manager ends a session, close the web browser window or tab in which the session was running, and restart Avamar Client Manager. Avamar Client Manager does not end a session while a commit task is in progress. Procedure 1. Open a command shell: a. Log in to the server as admin. b. Switch user to root by typing su -. c. For a multi-node server, load the rootid OpenSSH key by typing: ssh-agent bash ssh-add /root/.ssh/rootid
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2. Stop the EM Tomcat server by typing dpnctl stop emt. 3. Open the following file in a text editor: /usr/local/avamar-tomcat/webapps/aam/WEB-INF/web.xml 4. Change the value of the session-timeout tag to a new value in minutes. The following example illustrates the session-timeout tag with the default value of 4320 minutes (72 hours): 4320 5. Save and close the file. 6. Start the EM Tomcat server by typing dpnctl start emt.
Increasing the JavaScript time-out period The Avamar Client Manager UI uses JavaScript to perform many of its tasks. Sometimes an Avamar Client Manager UI script requires more time to finish than is permitted by a web browser’s default script time-out value. When this happens, a message appears and the script is stopped. You can click continue to allow the script to finish its work. To avoid seeing this message, increase the script time-out period. The steps depend on the web browser.
Increasing the JavaScript time-out period in Internet Explorer on Windows Procedure 1. Open a registry editor, such as Regedt32.exe. 2. Open the following registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\InternetExplorer \Styles If the key does not exist, create it. 3. Create a DWORD value called MaxScriptStatements under the key. 4. Set the value of the DWORD to 20,000,000. This number represents the number of script statements. 5. Restart the web browser.
Increasing the JavaScript time-out period in Firefox Procedure 1. In the browser address bar, type about:config. A warning message appears. 2. Click I’ll be careful, I promise!. The preferences window opens. 3. In Filter, type dom.max_script_run_time. The script runtime preference appears. Increasing the JavaScript time-out period
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4. Double-click the preference. The Enter integer value dialog box appears. 5. Type 30 and click OK. 6. Restart the browser.
Avamar Client Manager configuration properties Avamar Client Manager normally does not require any changes to its default configuration. However, some properties can be adjusted to suit a particular deployment requirement. Avamar Client Manager properties are in the /usr/local/avamar/etc/ acm.properties file. The following table provides information about the properties. Table 92 Avamar Client Manager configuration properties
Property
Description
Default value
activation.retry.attempts
The number tries to activate a client activation before activation fails.
24
activation.retry.frequency.minutes
The number of minutes between client activation tries.
120
move.getactivities.retry.attempts
The number of checks to determine whether a client is inactive (so that it can be moved).
7
move.getactivities.frequency.seconds The number of seconds between checks to determine whether a client is inactive (so that it can be moved).
5
move.queue.error.codes
Sets a comma-separated list of error codes that determine whether a move task failure is added to the queue. A move is only added to the queue if its failure generates one of these error codes. Use the value none to prevent all failed move tasks from being added to the queue. Use the value empty to add all failed move tasks to the queue.
22271, 22280, 22282, 22295, 30006, 30012, 30016, 30017, 30019
move.retry.attempts
Sets the number of times a failed move task is retried.
24
move.retry.frequency.minutes
Sets the span of time in minutes between retry tries.
120
orgu.name.append.domain
Determines whether clients displayed in the Client Information area of the UI are listed using the client hostname or FQDN. The default value displays the FQDN for each client.
true
toolbar.displaytime.client
Determines whether time displayed within true Avamar Client Manager uses the time zone of the web browser’s host computer or time zone of the Avamar server. The default value uses the time zone of the web browser’s host computer.
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Table 92 Avamar Client Manager configuration properties (continued)
Property
Description
Default value
upgrade.freeform.flags
Provides a way to pass key/value flags to upgrade work orders. The value is a comma separated list of KV pairs. For example:
No default value
upgrade.freeform.flags=key1=val1 ,key2=val2,key3=val3
Changing an Avamar Client Manager configuration property Procedure 1. Open a command shell: a. Log in to the server as admin. b. Switch user to root by typing su -. c. For a multi-node server, load the rootid OpenSSH key by typing: ssh-agent bash ssh-add /root/.ssh/rootid
2. Change the current working directory by typing the following command: cd /usr/local/avamar/etc
3. Open the Avamar Client Manager properties file, acm.properties, in a text editor. 4. Edit the value of the property. 5. Save and close the file. 6. Restart the EM Tomcat server by typing: dpnctl stop emt dpnctl start emt
Starting Avamar Client Manager Start Avamar Client Manager by typing the Avamar Client Manager URL in a web browser. Avamar Client Manager can also be started within Backup & Recovery Manager. Procedure 1. Open a web browser and type the following URL: https://Avamar_server/aam
where Avamar_server is the resolvable hostname or IP address of the Avamar server that is running the Avamar Client Manager process. 2. In User Name, type the username of an administrator account on the Avamar server. 3. In Password, type the password for the account. Starting Avamar Client Manager
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Results Avamar Client Manager opens to Server Summary section of the Overview page.
Login page The login page limits access to the Avamar Client Manager UI by requiring a username and a password. The login page authenticates the username and the password through comparison with administrator accounts registered on the Avamar server. Avamar Client Manager only allows access for accounts with administrator privileges on the Avamar server that is running the Avamar Client Manager process. After a successful login, the Avamar Client Manager UI opens to the Server Summary section of the Overview page.
Global tools Avamar Client Manager provides several tools that you can use with more than one page. Use these tools to help with the following tasks: l
Adding an Avamar server
l
Removing an Avamar server
l
Changing the settings for an Avamar server
l
Selecting an Avamar server to work with
l
Filtering a page's summary view
l
Viewing context relevant details
l
Exporting information from a page
l
Enabling tool tips
Adding an Avamar server To enable management of the Avamar clients of an Avamar server, add the Avamar server to Avamar Client Manager. Before you begin Determine the following information: l
The resolvable hostname or IP address of the Avamar server.
l
The inbound RMI port on the Avamar server.
l
The password for the MCUser account on the Avamar server.
Procedure 1. Browse to the Server Summary section of the Overview page. 2. Click Add Server. The Add Server window appears. 3. In System name (or) IP, type the resolvable hostname, or IP address, of the Avamar server. 4. In Port, type the inbound RMI port for the Avamar server.
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The field appears with the default value of 9443. Leave the default value unchanged unless a non-default port is used on the Avamar server. 5. In MCUser Password, type the password for the MCUser account on the Avamar server. 6. Click Save. Results Avamar Client Manager checks the values and adds the Avamar server.
Removing an Avamar server To stop management of the Avamar clients of an Avamar server, remove the Avamar server from Avamar Client Manager. Procedure 1. Browse to the Server Summary section of the Overview page. 2. Select the Avamar servers to remove. The Avamar server that hosts the Avamar Client Manager process cannot be removed. 3. Click Remove Server. A warning dialog box appears. 4. Click Yes. Results Avamar Client Manager removes the selected Avamar servers from the group of managed servers.
Changing the settings for an Avamar server Changes on an Avamar server to the inbound RMI port or to the password for the MCUser account prevent management of the Avamar server by Avamar Client Manager. Edit the stored settings for the Avamar server to reenable management by Avamar Client Manager. Before you begin Determine the following information: l
The new inbound RMI port on the Avamar server.
l
The new password for the MCUser account on the Avamar server.
Procedure 1. Suspend all activity on the Avamar server. Suspending and resuming server activities on page 162describes how to suspend Avamar server activity. 2. Browse to the Server Summary section of the Overview page. 3. Select an Avamar server. 4. Click Edit Server. The Edit Server window appears. 5. In Port, type the inbound RMI port on the selected Avamar server. Removing an Avamar server
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6. In MCUser Password, type the password for the MCUser account on the selected Avamar server. 7. Click Save. Results Avamar Client Manager checks the values and reestablishes management of the Avamar server.
Selecting a server Use the server selection field to display, and work with, information for a specific server. Before you begin Expand the Navigation panel on the left side of the UI so that the server selection field is visible at the top of the panel. Browse to a page that displays the server selection field in an active, selectable, state. Procedure 1. On the server selection field, click the arrow icon. When the server selection field is not visible, expand the Navigation panel on the left side of the UI. When the server selection field is not relevant to the current page view it appears in a dimmed state, that is, it is not active and selectable. 2. From the list of servers, select a server. The page view refreshes. Information about the server and its tasks appears.
Filters Avamar Client Manager offers you a wide range of filters. Use a filter to determine which objects appear in the list on the current page. Filters work with a variety of objects. The type of object and the available filters depend on the page's context. In Avamar Client Manager you can filter the following types of objects: l
Servers
l
Clients
l
Policies
l
Groups
l
Tasks
l
Log entries
Filters that apply to the current context appear on the Filters bar at the top of the page.
Searching by name To find objects by comparing a search string to object names, use the search field. Before you begin Browse to a view that has one of the following search-enabled fields on the Filters bar: l
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User name
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l
Client name
l
Group name
l
Domain name
Use search to limit the list to objects with the same and similar names. Procedure 1. Click the arrow next to the search-enabled field. A text entry box appears. 2. In the text entry box, type a search string. Avamar Client Manager compares the search string that you type to the names of objects and includes matching objects on the list. Objects match when a portion of the name contains the search string. 3. Click the magnifying glass icon. Results Avamar Client Manager refreshes the list and only objects with names that match the search string appear. Example 1 Searching by username
To include all clients that have a user with the characters "eng" in their username, type *eng* in the text entry field. After you finish (Optional) To remove the search string and to display all objects, click X next to the text entry field.
Search string rules A search string is one or more characters that you type into a name search field. Avamar Client Manager compares the search string with all object names. When the search string matches all or part of an object's name, Avamar Client Manager adds the object's name to the results. The following rules apply to a search string: l
No more than 24 characters
l
Can use an asterisk (*) character to represent zero or more characters
l
Cannot start with a period character
l
Cannot include any of the characters listed in the Character column of the following table: Table 93 Characters not allowed in search strings
Character
Name
Unicode
/a
Solidus
002F
:
Colon
003A
;
Semicolon
003B
?
Question Mark
003F
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Table 93 Characters not allowed in search strings (continued)
Character
Name
Unicode
"
Quotation Mark
0022
<
Less-than Sign
003C
>
Greater-than Sign
003E
\
Reverse Solidus
005C
,
Comma
002c
~
Tilde
007E
!
Exclamation Mark
0021
@
Commercial At
0040
#
Number Sign
0023
$
Dollar Sign
0024
%
Percent Sign
0025
^
Circumflex Accent
005E
|
Vertical Line
007C
&
Ampersand
0026
'
Apostrophe
0027
`
Grave Accent
0060
(
Left Parenthesis
0028
)
Right Parenthesis
0029
{
Left Curly Bracket
007B
}
Right Curly Bracket
007D
[
Left Square Bracket
005B
]
Right Square Bracket
005D
a.
An exception to this exclusion permits the solidus character in the Domain Name filter on the Policies page.
Using the activity type filter Use the activity type filter to limit a list to one type of activity. Before you begin Browse to a view that includes Activity Type on the Filters bar. Procedure 1. On the Filters bar, click the arrow next to Activity Type. A selection list appears, with the values: Backup and Restore. 2. Select a value. Select Backup to include only backup tasks in the list. Select Restore to include only restore tasks in the list. 306
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For example, in the Idle Clients section of the Clients page, select Backup on the Activity Type filter. Avamar Client Manager limits the list to clients without any backup activity during the defined period. Results Avamar Client Manager filters the results using the activity type that you selected.
Using the client status filter Use the client status filter to add clients with the specified client status to the list. Before you begin Browse to a view that includes Client Status on the Filters bar. Procedure 1. On the Filters bar, click the arrow next to Client Status. A selection list of the client statuses for all clients in that context appears. 2. Select a status. For example, in the Add Clients section of the Clients page, select Activation Failure on the Client Status filter. Avamar Client Manager limits the list to registered computers with at least one unsuccessful activation try. Avamar Client Manager refreshes the list. Only entries with the selected client status appear on the list. 3. (Optional) Repeat the steps to select additional statuses. Results Avamar Client Manager refreshes the list. Only entries with the selected client statuses appear on the list.
Using the failure criteria filter Use the failure criteria filter to define which clients Avamar Client Manager includes in a list of failed clients. Before you begin Browse to a view that includes Failure Criteria on the Filters bar. Procedure 1. On the Filters bar, click the arrow next to Failure Criteria. A selection list appears, with the values: At least one activity failed, All activities failed, and Last activity failed. 2. Select a value. The value that you select determines which clients Avamar Client Manager includes in the list of failed clients. Avamar Client Manager includes only clients that match the selected activity status. For example, select Last activity failed. Avamar Client Manager refreshes the list and includes clients only when their most recent activity failed. The failed activity can be either a backup or a restore. Results Avamar Client Manager refreshes the list. Only clients with an activity status that matches the selected value appear on the list.
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Using the OS filter Use the OS filter to limit a list to clients with specific operating systems. Before you begin Browse to a view that includes OS on the Filters bar. Procedure 1. On the Filters bar, click the arrow next to OS. A list of the OS versions of all clients in that context appears. 2. Select an OS version. Avamar Client Manager refreshes the list. Only clients with the selected OS version appear on the list. 3. (Optional) Repeat the steps to select additional OS versions. Results Avamar Client Manager refreshes the list. Only clients with the selected OS versions appear on the list.
Using the period filter Use the period filter to define the calendar date boundaries of the displayed results. Before you begin Browse to a view that includes Period on the Filters bar. Procedure 1. On the Filters bar, click the arrow next to Period. A selection list appears, with the values: Before, After, and On. 2. Select a value. 3. Click the arrow next to the selected value. A date entry field and a small calendar icon appear. 4. Click the calendar icon, browse to a specific date, and then click the date. Alternatively, in the date entry field, type a date using the format m/d/yy, and click the magnifying glass icon. Avamar Client Manager refreshes the list. Only entries within the specified period appear on the list. 5. (Optional) Further refine the results by repeating these steps using the other values. Results Avamar Client Manager refreshes the list. Only entries within the specified period appear on the list.
Using the status filter Use the status filter to limit a list to entries with specific statuses. Before you begin Browse to a view that includes Status on the Filters bar.
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Procedure 1. On the Filters bar, click the arrow next to Status. A selection list of all statuses for all entries in that context appears. 2. Select a status. Avamar Client Manager refreshes the list. Only entries with the selected status appear on the list. 3. (Optional) Repeat the steps to select additional statuses. Results Avamar Client Manager refreshes the list. Only entries with the selected statuses appear on the list.
Using the status code filter Use the status code filter to limit a list to entries with specific status codes. Before you begin Browse to a view that includes Status Code on the Filters bar. Procedure 1. On the Filters bar, click the arrow next to Status Code. A selection list of the status codes for all entries in that context appears. 2. Select a status code. Avamar Client Manager refreshes the list. Only entries with the selected status code appear on the list. 3. (Optional) Repeat the steps to select additional status codes. Results Avamar Client Manager refreshes the list. Only entries with the selected status codes appear on the list.
Using the success criteria filter Use the success criteria filter to define which clients Avamar Client Manager includes in a list of successful clients. Before you begin Browse to a view that includes Success Criteria on the Filters bar. Procedure 1. On the Filters bar, click the arrow next to Success Criteria. A selection list appears, with the values: At least one activity successful, All activities successful, and Last activity successful. 2. Select a value. The value that you select determines which clients Avamar Client Manager includes in the list of successful clients. Avamar Client Manager only includes clients that match the selected activity status. For example, select Last activity successful. Avamar Client Manager refreshes the list and only includes the clients with a successful backup or restore.
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Results Avamar Client Manager refreshes the list. Only clients with an activity status that matches the selected value appear on the list.
Using the version filter Use the version filter to limit a list to clients with specific versions of the Avamar client software. Before you begin Browse to a view that includes Version on the Filters bar. Procedure 1. On the Filters bar, click the arrow next to Version. A selection list of the Avamar client software versions for all clients in that context appears. 2. Select a version. Avamar Client Manager refreshes the list. Only clients with the selected software version appear on the list. 3. (Optional) Repeat the steps to select additional software versions. Results Avamar Client Manager refreshes the list. Only clients with the selected software versions appear on the list.
Viewing details Use the Details panel to view context relevant details. Before you begin Browse to a view that includes the Details panel or Details bar on the right-side. Procedure 1. On the right-side of the page, click the Details bar. The Details panel expands. 2. In Summary, select an object. The page context determines the object type. An object can be a client or a group. You can select more than one object. Detailed information for the selected object appears in the Details panel. 3. (Optional) When you select more than one object, use the paging controls at the bottom of the Details panel to view information for each selected object.
Exporting data Use export to download the selected summary as an Excel spreadsheet. Before you begin Browse to a page view that includes Export on the page bar. Procedure 1. On the page bar, click Export. Avamar Client Manager includes all information from the summary in the exported data. 310
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The web server pushes an Excel file containing the summary information to the browser. 2. Save the file locally. 3. Use an application that can read the Excel-formatted spreadsheets to open the file.
Setting the entries per page limit Increase the limit on the number of entries displayed in summary lists. By default, Avamar Client Manager limits its summary lists to 25 entries per page. When there are more entries than the current entries per page limit, the entries appear on 2 or more pages. You can increase the entries per page limit to make it easier to work with many entries. Procedure 1. On the status bar at the bottom of Avamar Client Manager, click Entries Per Page. The list of choices appears. 2. Click a number on the list. Results Avamar Client Manager sets the selected number as the new limit and refreshes the page.
Viewing tool tips Enable and display tool tips to view concise help messages for various elements of the UI. Procedure 1. On the status bar at the bottom of Avamar Client Manager, select Show Tooltips. 2. Hover the pointer over a user interface element that has a tool tip. The following elements may have tool tips: l
Dashboard chart sections
l
Controls
l
Column headings
Overview The Overview page provides access to high-level information about the management of Avamar clients. It also provides tools for the administration of Avamar servers. From the left-side menu of the Overview page, select: l
Server Summary Select Server Summary to view information about the selected Avamar server, to add an Avamar server, to remove an Avamar server, or to edit the settings for an Avamar server.
l
Dashboard Setting the entries per page limit
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Select Dashboard to view information about the client backups for the selected Avamar server.
Server Summary The Server Summary section of the Overview page provides columns of information about the Avamar servers that Avamar Client Manager manages. Filter this information by using the filters available on the Filters bar. Change the sorting method that is used for the list by clicking a column heading. In each of the following columns, click a nonzero value to see a more detailed report about that column's information: l
Active Clients
l
Idle Clients
l
Successful Clients
l
Failed Clients
Server Summary columns The following table describes the columns that are used in the Server Summary section of the Overview page. Table 94 Columns used in the Server Summary section
312
Column
Description
Server
Hostname or IP address of the Avamar server.
Version
Version of Avamar server software that is installed on the Avamar server.
Total Clients
Total number of clients that are registered with the Avamar server. Does not include retired clients.
Active Clients
Total number of clients with activity (backup or restore) during the specified period.
Idle Clients
Total number of clients with no backup activity during the specified period.
Successful Clients
Total number of clients with a backup status that matches the value set in the Successful Backups filter. Also includes the average amount of time for those backups.
Failed clients
Total number of clients with failed backups during the specified period.
Clients with Restore
Total number of clients with restore activity (successful or unsuccessful) during the specified period.
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Dashboard The Dashboard section of the Overview page provides a graphical snapshot view of a selected server. The dashboard provides information in panels that you can expand, collapse, or delete to create the view you need. Usage tips: l
Collapse or expand a panel by clicking the arrow icon in the panel's title bar.
l
Return the dashboard to its default view by reloading the page in your web browser.
Setting a panel's period Set a panel's period to define the number of days of data in the display. Before you begin Browse to the Dashboard section of the Overview page, with any of the following panels displayed: Analyze, Backup Report, and Backup Trend. Procedure 1. On a panel, in the period field, click the arrow icon. The period field is available on the following panels: l
Analyze
l
Backup Report
l
Backup Trend
The period list appears. 2. Select a period. The available choices are: l
Last 24 hours
l
Last 7 days
l
Last 30 days
Avamar Client Manager refreshes the panel with data for the selected period.
Client panel The Client panel uses a pie chart to represent the total number of potential clients for the selected server. Colors represent the percentage of the total for: l
Activated Green represents the percentage of clients that the selected server has activated.
l
Not activated Red represents the percentage of clients that the selected server has registered, but not activated.
l
Free Gray represents the percentage of unused client connections available on the selected server.
Server panel The Server panel provides a grid view of information about the selected server. Dashboard
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Table 95 Server information on the Server panel
Column
Description
Node Type
Specifies the server's node type: Single or Multi.
Active Backup
Number of running backups.
Backup in Queue
Number of backups in the server's queue waiting to run.
Replication
Current state of the replication cron job:
Status
l
Running
l
Not running
Current state of the server's Management Console Server (MCS) system: l
Active
l
Down
Backup Trend panel The Backup Trend panel is a line chart that shows the size of data that is backed up at specific points in time over a defined period. The x-axis represents points in time over the selected period. The y-axis represents the size of data in the backup at each point in time. The line that is drawn between the plotted points represents the backup trend, which is the change in backed up data over time.
Client Type panel The Client Type panel uses a bar chart to represent for the selected server the number of activated clients that are in each of the following categories: l
Regular All activated clients that do not fit into one of the other three categories.
l
vMachine Guest clients. The virtual computers that are backed up through Avamar client software running on the host computer.
l
Proxy Proxy virtual machine clients. Clients that use Avamar for VMware image backup and restore.
l
vCenter Avamar clients that protect vCenter management infrastructure by backing up vCenter hosts.
Analyze panel The Analyze panel uses a bar chart to represent the number of clients that are in each of the following states during the selected period: l
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Clients with at least one successful backup. l
Failed Clients with backup activity but no successful backups.
l
Idle Clients with no backup activity.
Backup Report panel For backups started during the selected period, the Backup Report panel uses a bar chart to represent the number of each of the following results: l
Successful Successfully completed backups, with or without errors.
l
Failed Backups that failed to complete.
l
Canceled Backups that are canceled before completion.
Client Queues panel The Client Queues panel uses a bar chart to display the number of clients in each of the following queues: l
Upgrade
l
Move to server
l
Activation
Storage Capacity panel The Storage Capacity panel uses a pie chart to represent the total storage capacity of the selected server. Colored slices represent the following: l
Used Red represents the portion of storage that contains data.
l
Free Capacity Green represents the portion of storage that is unused and available.
Backup Health panel The Backup Health panel uses a bar chart to represent the number of clients that have retained backup data for specific periods of time. The panel uses the periods: 1 day, 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days. On the bar chart, the x-axis represents the period that Avamar has retained the data and the y-axis represents the number of clients.
Clients The Clients page provides information and tools for working with Avamar clients. From this page you can: l
Select the computers in your enterprise's domain and add them as Avamar clients
l
View detailed information about individual clients
l
Move, retire, and delete clients Clients
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l
Change a client's group associations
l
Upgrade the Avamar software on the client
To navigate between the sections of the Clients page, select from the choices in the left-side menu.
Client and server tools Avamar Client Manager provides several tools to help manage Avamar clients and Avamar servers. A tool only appears when it is relevant to the context. Changes made by the tool apply to the selected client and the selected server. Launch a tool by clicking its command button.
Creating an Avamar domain Create an Avamar domain to add a branch to an Avamar server's administrative hierarchy. Before you begin Browse to a view that includes Create Domain: either the Add New Clients dialog box or the Client Move dialog box. Procedure 1. In the Domain Selection pane, select the location for the new domain. To locate the new domain directly beneath the root domain, select the server icon. To locate the new domain beneath another domain, select that domain. 2. Click Create Domain. The New domain dialog box appears. 3. In New Domain Name, type a name for the domain. Avamar does not allow the following characters in a domain name: =~!@$^%(){} []|,`;#\/:*?<>'"&+
4. (Optional) Type information in the Contact, Phone, Email, and Location fields. 5. Click OK. Results Avamar Client Manager adds the new domain to the selected server and the new domain appears on the Domain Selection pane.
Viewing the group associations of a client To determine the policies that apply to a client, view the groups that include the client. Before you begin Browse to a view that includes Group Associations on the Actions bar. The group associations of a client determine the client's backup dataset, the client's backup schedule, and the client's backup retention period. Procedure 1. Select a client. 2. Click Group Associations.
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Results The Groups for Client dialog box appears and lists the client's groups.
Adding group associations to a client To apply the policies of a group to a client, add the group association to the client. Before you begin Browse to a view that includes Group Associations on the Actions bar. This task results in an association between a client and a group. The Avamar server applies the group's policies to the client. Procedure 1. Select a client. 2. Click Group Associations. 3. On the Groups for Client dialog box, click Add Groups. The Add Groups for Client dialog box appears. 4. Select a group. You can select more than one group. 5. Click Add. Results Avamar Client Manager adds the group associations to the client.
Creating a group To make a new set of policies available for assignment to clients, create a group with the policies. The Create Group command is available when adding a client to a group, and when moving a client to a new domain or to a new server. Before you begin Browse to a view that includes Create Group: either the Add Groups dialog box or the Client Move dialog box. Procedure 1. Click Create Group. On the Client Move dialog box, selecting a domain enables the button. The Create Group in Domain dialog box appears. 2. In Group Name, type a name for the new group. Avamar does not allow any of the following characters in a group's name: =~!@ $^%(){}[]|,`;#\/:*?<>'"&+
3. (Optional) Select Enable to enable scheduled backups of clients that you assign to the group. Clear this checkbox to disable scheduled backups of clients that you assign to the group. 4. In Dataset, select a dataset for the group. 5. In Schedule, select a schedule for the group. 6. In Retention Policy, select a retention policy for the group. Client and server tools
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7. Click OK. Results Avamar Client Manager creates the new group in the selected domain.
Removing group associations from a client To stop applying a group's policies to a client, remove the group association from the client. Before you begin Browse to a view that includes Group Associations on the Actions bar. This task removes the association between a client and a group. When you complete the task the group's policies no longer apply to the client. Procedure 1. Select a client. 2. Click Group Associations. 3. On the Groups for Client dialog box, select a group. You can select more than one group. 4. Click Remove. Results Avamar Client Manager removes the association between the client and the selected groups.
Overriding group policy settings for a client To modify policies applied to a client, override the policies of its group. Before you begin Browse to a view where View/Edit Details appears on the Actions bar and the client appears in the clients list. Procedure 1. Select a client. 2. On the Actions bar, click View/Edit Details. The Client Details dialog box appears. 3. Select the Advanced tab. The policy override settings appear with the client's current state shown. 4. Make changes to the client's current state by selecting or clearing settings. 5. Click OK. Results Avamar Client Manager changes the group policy settings for the client.
Group policy override settings To modify a policy that is applied to a client, use one of the policy override settings. The following table describes the policy override settings on the Advanced tab of the Client Details dialog box. 318
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Table 96 Settings on the Advanced tab of Client Details
Setting
Description
Override group retention
Permits you to assign to a client a retention setting that is different from the group setting. After selecting this option, assign a retention setting by selecting it from the Select an existing retention policy list.
Select an existing retention policy
List of available retention settings that you can assign to a client. To use this list, first select Override group retention.
Disable all backups
Disables all backups of the client. Users can still restore data.
Activated
Places a registered client in an activated state. When you clear this setting, users cannot perform backups or restores.
Allow client-initiated backups
Permits users to begin backups from the client.
Allow file selection for client-initiated backups Permits users to select files to include in backups that are started from the client. The Exclude list for the group's dataset does not apply. Allow client to add to dataset
Allow client to override daily group schedules
Allow client to override retention policy on client-initiated backups
Permits users to add folders to the datasets of the client's groups. The following rules apply to this setting: l
The Avamar server filters the added data with the group's Exclude list and Include list.
l
The added data is in every scheduled and on-demand backup for each group that is assigned to the client.
l
User must have access to the Avamar client web UI to add folders or remove folders.
Permits users to select a start time for scheduled backups that is different from the group start time. Prerequisites: l
Add time entries to the Avamar server's Override schedule.
l
Assign a daily schedule to the client's group.
l
Provide users access to the Avamar client web UI to allow them to select a new schedule.
Assigns the retention policy that is specified in Select an existing retention policy to client-initiated backups. Prerequisites: Client and server tools
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Table 96 Settings on the Advanced tab of Client Details (continued)
Setting
Description l
Enable Override group retention.
l
Enable Allow client-initiated backups.
Viewing summary information about a client Use Client Details to see information about a client and its users. Before you begin Browse to a view where View/Edit Details appears on the Actions bar and the client appears in the clients list. Procedure 1. Select a client. 2. On the Actions bar, click View/Edit Details. The Client Details dialog box appears. 3. Select the Summary tab. Results Information about the client appears. Also, a list of users associated with the client appears.
Changing a client's name on the server When you change a computer's hostname, also change the name that is used by the Avamar server to identify the computer as an Avamar client. Before you begin Change the hostname on the computer, and in DNS, before performing this task. Browse to a view where View/Edit Details appears on the Actions bar and the computer appears in the clients list. Procedure 1. Select a client. 2. On the Actions bar, click View/Edit Details. The Client Details dialog box appears. 3. Select the Summary tab. 4. In Client name, type the new hostname for the computer. 5. Click OK. Results Avamar Client Manager replaces the old hostname with the new hostname for the Avamar client on the Avamar server.
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Viewing a client's backup history To determine whether an Avamar server has backed up a client as expected, view the client's backup history. Before you begin Browse to a view where View/Edit Details appears on the Actions bar and the client appears in the clients list. Procedure 1. Select a client. 2. On the Actions bar, click View/Edit Details. The Client Details dialog box appears. 3. Select the Backups tab. 4. In From, select the earliest date of the period to view. 5. In To, select the latest date of the period to view. 6. (Optional) Select On-demand backups. Select this choice to include user-initiated backups in the results. Clear this choice to exclude those backups. 7. (Optional) Select Scheduled backups. Select this choice to include backups initiated by a group schedule in the results. Clear this choice to exclude those backups. Results A list of the client's backups that match the filter settings appears.
Viewing a client's installed plug-ins View the Avamar plug-ins that are installed on an Avamar client to help determine the types of data in its backups. Before you begin Browse to a view where View/Edit Details appears on the Actions bar and the client appears in the clients list. Procedure 1. Select a client. 2. On the Actions bar, click View/Edit Details. The Client Details dialog box appears. 3. Select the Plug-ins tab. Results The plug-ins that are installed on the client appear.
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Deleting a client from a server To remove a client's records and backups from an Avamar server, delete the client from the server. Before you begin Browse to a view where the client appears in the client list and Delete appears on the Actions bar. When Avamar Client Manager deletes a client from an Avamar server it stops all activity with that client, deletes the client's backups, and removes all record of the client from the server's database. Procedure 1. Select a client. 2. On the Actions bar, click Delete. 3. On the Confirm dialog box, type the password. Use the password of the account that is logged in to Avamar Client Manager. 4. Click OK. The Alert dialog box appears. 5. Click OK. Results Avamar Client Manager runs a background process that removes all the client's information and data from the server.
Add Clients The Add Clients section provides information and tools to register and activate enterprise computers as Avamar clients. Use the Add Clients section to import information about the computers in the enterprise. Import the information from a supported LDAP naming system or from a CSV file. After import, filter the information by client status and client name to help in the selection of prospective Avamar clients. Use Avamar Client Manager to register and activate the selected computers to an Avamar server. Completion of the activation process requires installation of the Avamar client software on the computers and access to Avamar client processes from the server. The normal workflow is to install the client software on a computer before selecting it for activation.
Directory service information You can use an enterprise's directory service to provide Avamar Client Manager with information about the computers that are potential Avamar clients. Use a supported directory service that has information about the potential Avamar client computers. Avamar Client Manager queries the directory service to obtain information about clients and, if available, directory service organizational units, such as directory domains, and directory groups. Before using the directory service method to obtain information about computers in a domain, configure Avamar Client Manager to use the directory service. The directory service method requires the following: 322
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TCP/IP access to the directory service from the server that is running Avamar Client Manager.
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Account information for a user account with read access to the directory service.
l
The name of the directory service domain for the computers that you want to import.
Importing information from a directory service To prepare to add computers as Avamar clients, import information about the computers from the directory service. Before you begin Do the following: l
Configure Avamar Client Manager to use the directory service.
l
Obtain a username, and its associated domain and password for an account with read access to the directory service.
l
Have available the name of the directory service domain of the computers that are being imported.
Procedure 1. In the left-side menu, click Clients > Add Clients. 2. On the Actions bar, click New Clients. The Client Information Source dialog box appears. 3. Select Active Directory. 4. In User Domain, select the domain of the account you are using to access the directory service. To add directory service domains to this list, refer to the administration guide. 5. In User Name, type the name of the account. 6. In Password, type the password of the account. 7. In Directory Domain, select the name of the directory service domain for the computer information you are importing. 8. Click OK. Results Avamar Client Manager imports the information from the directory service. After you finish Using the imported computer information, select and activate computers as clients of an Avamar server.
CSV file information You can use a comma-separated values (CSV) file to provide Avamar Client Manager with information about the computers that are potential Avamar clients. Create the CSV file manually or create it by using the output of a Systems management tool such as the Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager or the Microsoft Systems Management Server. You can use the output that a Systems management tool generates during installation of the Avamar client software a group of computers to create the CSV file. However, only those clients with the Avamar client software successfully installed appear in Avamar Client Manager. Add Clients
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During the upload of a CSV file, Avamar Client Manager checks the file for correct formatting, and cancels the upload when it finds a problem.
CSV file format A correctly formatted CSV file complies with the following rules: l
At least two rows.
l
The values are separated only by a comma.
l
The first row of the file must consist of the literal names for each type of value. The name for the first value is Hostname. The name for the second value is Group.
l
The second row, and all subsequent rows, must have at least one value and no more than two values.
l
The formatting rules require a first value that is a valid hostname for a computer and a trailing comma.
l
The second value is optional, but when you include it, it must be the directory service logical group name for the computer. When you do not provide the second value for a computer, Avamar Client Manager lists the computer at the root level in the hierarchical display.
l
In the second value, use a forward slash (/) to separate the hierarchical levels of the directory service logical group name.
If you use spreadsheet software to create or edit the client list, do not add a comma with the value to try to create comma separated values. Adding a comma to the value within the spreadsheet software can result in an incorrectly formatted file. When you save the client list in the editor as a CSV file type, the editor adds the comma separators as part of the file conversion process. To check the formatting, open the client list in a plain text editor. Example of a correctly formatted client list file In a plain text editor, a correctly formatted client list file looks like the following example. Hostname,Group User1-desktop.Acme.corp.com,acme.corp/USA/MA User1-laptop.Acme.corp.com,acme.corp/USA/CA/SFO User2-desktop.Acme.corp.com,acme.corp/Engineering User3-desktop.Acme.corp.com, User4-desktop.Acme.corp.com,
The first line lists the literal names of each type of value. The second line contains the hostname User1-desktop.Acme.corp.com, the separating comma, and the group acme.corp/USA/MA. The third line contains the hostname User1-laptop.Acme.corp.com, the separating comma, and the group acme.corp/USA/CA/SFO. The fourth line contains the hostname User2-desktop.Acme.corp.com, the separating comma, and the group acme.corp/Engineering. The fifth and sixth lines contain only the hostnames User3desktop.Acme.corp.com and User4-desktop.Acme.corp.com, each followed by a comma. The formatting rules require a comma, even without a group. The lines do not list groups, so both hostnames appear at the root level of the hierarchical display.
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Figure 14 View after uploading the example CSV file
Uploading information in a CSV file To prepare to add computers as Avamar clients, upload information about the computers in a comma-separated values (CSV) file. Before you begin Generate or create a correctly formatted CSV file and have a copy available on the web browsing computer. Procedure 1. In the left-side menu, click Clients > Add Clients. 2. On the Actions bar, click New Clients. The Client Information Source dialog box appears. 3. Select CSV File. 4. Click Browse. The Choose File to Upload dialog box appears. 5. Browse to the CSV file, select it, and click Open. 6. On the Client Information Source dialog box, click OK. Results Avamar Client Manager uploads the information from the CSV file. After you finish Using the uploaded computer information, select and activate computers as clients of an Avamar server.
Activation Activation consists of changing the relationship between a computer and an Avamar server to enable the server to manage backups of the computer. The relationship moves through the three states that are shown in the following table.
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Table 97 Relationship states during client activation
State
Description
No relationship
The computer is unknown to the server. Computers in this state appear in Add Clients, when you first add the computer information to Avamar Client Manager.
Registered
Avamar Client Manager added the information about the computer to the Avamar server's database. Computers in this state appear in Registered Clients after Avamar Client Manager starts the activation process and completes registration with the Avamar server. The changed state of these computers also appears in Add Clients.
Activated
The computer has Avamar client software that is installed and running. The client software and the server are in communication and have exchanged an encrypted key to verify their identities. Computers in this state appear in Activated Clients after activation is complete. The changed state of these computers also appears in Add Clients and Registered Clients.
A computer that is in the activation process appears on the Queues page, in Activation. Avamar Client Manager tries to activate a computer every 2 hours until it succeeds or until it reaches the limit of 24 tries. When the process completes, Avamar Client Manager removes the computer from this view and adds an entry on the Logs page, in Activation.
Activating computers to enable backup management To enable backup management of a client, activate it with an Avamar server. Before you begin Install Avamar client software on the computers being activated and import information about the computers from either a directory service or a CSV file. Procedure 1. On the left-side menu, click Clients > Add Clients. A hierarchical view of the computers in the enterprise appears. Avamar Client Manager generates this view from the information that you imported. 2. Browse or search the hierarchy to find the computers to activate. 3. Select each computer to activate. To select all computers in a folder, expand the folder to show the computers, then select the folder. 4. Click Activate. The Server - Domain Selection dialog box appears. 5. Expand the listing for a server, and select an Avamar domain. Avamar Client Manager assigns the computers to the selected server and domain during activation. 6. Click Next. The Server - Group Selection dialog box appears. 7. Select a group or multiple groups. 326
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Avamar Client Manager assigns the computers to the selected group or groups during activation. 8. Click Finish. Results Avamar Client Manager sends the activation task to the queue. After you finish Check the Activation section of the Queues page to determine the status of the activation process. After the process completes, check the Activation section of the Logs page to determine its final status.
Registered Clients Clients that an Avamar server has registered but not activated appear in the Registered Clients section. Use the Registered Clients section to select clients and perform the following clientrelated tasks: l
Activate
l
Delete
l
Associate with groups
l
View and edit details
l
Add and remove group override settings
Activating a registered client To enable backup management of a registered client that failed to activate when it was registered, activate it from the Registered Clients section. Before you begin Install the Avamar client software on the computers you want to activate. When activation of a computer as a client of an Avamar server fails, Avamar Client Manager still registers the computer with the server. Correct any problems that prevented the activation. Then retry the activation of the registered client. Procedure 1. On the left-side menu, click Clients > Registered Clients. 2. Select each client to activate. 3. Click Activate. Results Avamar Client Manager sends the activation task to the queue. After you finish Check the Activation section of the Queues page to determine the status of the activation process. After the process completes, check the Activation section of the Logs page to determine its final status.
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Activated Clients Clients that are activated with the selected Avamar server appear in the Activated Clients section. Use the Activated Clients section to perform the following tasks: l
Move client to a different server
l
Move client to a different Avamar domain
l
Retire a client
l
Delete a client
l
Manage a client's group associations
l
View and edit a client's details
l
Add and remove group override settings
Moving a client to a new server To manage an Avamar client through a new Avamar server, move the Avamar client's registration, activation, and backups to the new server. Before you begin Do the following: l
Add the target server to Avamar Client Manager as described in Adding an Avamar server on page 302.
l
Select a client that is activated to a server with Avamar server software version 5.0.1.31 or newer.
l
For a client activated with an Avamar server older than version 6.x, fully initialize the MCS process on that server.
Procedure 1. On the left-side menu, click Clients > Activated Clients. 2. Select a client. Do not select an NDMP client. Do not select a client that has backups on a Data Domain server. 3. On the Actions bar, click Move. The Domain Selection pane of the Client Move dialog box appears. 4. At the top of the Domain Selection pane, from the server selection list, select the Avamar server that is the target of the move. The target server's domains appear in the Domain Selection pane. 5. In the Domain Selection pane, select the target domain. 6. Click Next. The Group Selection pane of the Client Move dialog box appears. 7. Select a target group. You can optionally select more than one target group. Avamar Client Manager adds the client to all selected groups. 8. In Replicate Existing Backups at the bottom of the Group Selection pane, select a value. 328
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Option
Description
All
Replicate all the client's backups to the target server.
Last
Replicate only the last backup.
None
Replicate none of the backups.
Replication makes the backups available from the target server. 9. (Optional) In Delete From Source: l
Select to remove all the client's backups from the source server.
l
Clear to move the source server's registration of the client to the source server's MC_RETIRED domain and retain copies of the client's backups on the source server.
10. Click Finish. The Confirm Replication Authentication dialog box appears. 11. In Source Server, type the password for the repluser account on the source server. 12. In Target Server, type the password for the repluser account on the target server. 13. Click OK. Results In a background process, Avamar Client Manager moves the client to the selected target.
Moving a client to a different Avamar domain To change the administrative relationship between an Avamar client and an Avamar server you can move the client to a different Avamar domain. Before you begin Select a client that is activated to a server with Avamar server software version 6.x or newer. Procedure 1. On the left-side menu, click Clients > Activated Clients. 2. Select a client. 3. On the Actions bar, click Move. The Client Move dialog box appears. 4. In the Domain Selection pane of the Client Move dialog box, select the target domain. 5. Click Next. The Group Selection pane appears on the Client Move dialog box. 6. Select a target group. You can optionally select more than one target group. Avamar Client Manager adds the client to all the selected groups. 7. Click Finish. An alert box appears. Activated Clients
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8. Click OK. Results In a background process, Avamar Client Manager moves the client to the selected target.
Retiring a client To stop backups of an Avamar client, retire the Avamar client. Avamar Client Manager retains backups that exist at the time of retirement so that you can restore data when necessary. Procedure 1. On the left-side menu, click Clients > Activated Clients. 2. Select a client. You can select more than one client. The retention policy setting you select applies to all selected clients. 3. On the Actions bar, click Retire. The Retire Client dialog box appears. 4. In Select Retention Policy, select one of the options. Option
Description
Retire client and retain backups with existing expiration date
The Avamar server retains the backups for the existing retention period
Retire client and retain all backups indefinitely
The Avamar server retains the backups until you manually delete them
Retire client and reset backup expiration date
The Avamar server retains the backups until the date set in New Expiration Date
5. If you select Retire client and reset backup expiration date in the previous step then, in New Expiration Date, select a date. The Confirm dialog box appears. 6. Click Yes. The Alert dialog box appears. 7. Click OK. Results In a background process, Avamar Client Manager retires the selected client.
Failed Clients Clients that have unsuccessful backup or restore activity appear in the Failed Clients section. Use the Failed Clients section to perform the following tasks:
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Delete a client
l
Manage a client's group associations
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View and edit a client's details
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When working with failed clients, use the filters that are described in the following table. Table 98 Failed client filters
Filter
Description
Period
Specifies the period that Avamar Client Manager examines.
Activity Type
Specifies the type of activity that Avamar Client Manager examines.
Failure Criteria
Defines the failure threshold that is used by Avamar Client Manager.
Idle Clients Activated Avamar clients, that do not have activity during a specified period, appear in the Idle Clients section. When working with idle clients, use the Period filter to specify the period that Avamar Client Manager examines for activity, and the Activity Type filter to specify the type of activity. Use the Idle Clients section to perform the following tasks: l
Delete a client
l
Manage a client's group associations
l
View and edit a client's details
l
Add and remove group override settings
Upgrade Clients The Upgrade Clients section provides information and tools you can use to apply upgrades and hot fixes to Avamar clients. Use the Upgrade Clients section to perform the following tasks: l
Download an upgrade package to a server
l
Select an upgrade package
l
Apply the package to selected clients
l
Remove an upgrade package from a server
Upgrade Clients section requirements Before using the Avamar Client Manager Upgrade Clients section, do the following: l
For each client or plug-in, install the minimum client version that is listed in the EMC Avamar Push Client upgrade compatibility table of the EMC Avamar Compatibility and Interoperability Matrix. Obtain the latest version of this document from EMC Online Support (https://support.emc.com).
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Note
Use of the Upgrade Clients feature to upgrade Avamar client software on Windows cluster nodes is not supported. The EMC Avamar for Windows Server User Guide describes how to upgrade Avamar client software on Windows cluster nodes. l
Install, configure, and run the Avamar Downloader Service. The Avamar Downloader Service obtains the client packages and plug-in packages that are required by the upgrade feature. This service pulls the packages from EMC and pushes them onto the Avamar data server subsystem (GSAN). After the packages are updated in GSAN, the packages appear in the Avamar Client Manager Select Package window, and upgrades can be performed.
Multiple system deployments For Avamar deployments that include more than one Avamar system, Avamar Client Manager running on one of the Avamar systems (managing system) can be used to manage clients that are associated with other Avamar systems (managed systems). The managed systems must meet the following requirements: l
Managed system is added to Avamar Client Manager on the managing system. Adding managed systems to Avamar Client Manager on the managing system provides the managing system with the information that it requires to support client upgrades on the managed systems.
l
Managed system is running a "near version" of Avamar software that is no more than two versions earlier than the managing system.
The near version requirement ensures that all packages required by clients on the managed systems are available for deployment through the managing system. To provide full client upgrade support for clients that are associated with Avamar systems that do not meet the near version requirement, run Avamar Client Manager on those systems.
Downloading upgrade and hotfix packages Use Avamar Client Manager to download upgrade and hotfix packages to an Avamar server. Before you begin Do the following: l
Install and configure the Avamar Downloader Service and the AvInstaller service. Refer to the administration guide for information about these tasks.
l
Select an Avamar server.
Before applying an upgrade or hotfix package to an Avamar client, download the package to the Avamar server associated with the Avamar client. Procedure 1. On the left-side menu, click Clients > Upgrade Clients. 2. On the Actions bar, click Select Package. The Upgrade Client dialog box appears. 3. In the Status column for the package, click Download. The status of the package must be Available. 332
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Results Avamar Client Manager begins the download. A progress bar appears. After the download finishes, Avamar Client Manager updates the package status, in sequence, to each of the following values: Waiting, Processing, and Ready.
Selecting an upgrade package Select an upgrade package or hotfix package to apply to Avamar clients. Before you begin Do the following: l
Install and configure the Avamar Downloader Service and the AvInstaller service. Refer to the administration guide for information about these tasks.
l
Select an Avamar server.
l
Download the upgrade or hotfix package to the selected Avamar server.
Procedure 1. On the left-side menu, click Clients > Upgrade Clients. 2. On the Actions bar, click Select Package. The Upgrade Client dialog box appears. 3. Select a package. Before you can select a package, the package must have a Ready status. 4. Click Select. The Upgrade Client dialog box closes. Results The Avamar clients that are eligible for the upgrade or the hotfix appear. After you finish Select clients and apply the upgrade or hotfix package to them.
Applying the upgrade package Select Avamar clients and apply the upgrade package or the hotfix package. Before you begin Select an upgrade package or a hotfix package. View the list of Avamar clients that are eligible for the selected package. NOTICE
Applying an upgrade to an Avamar NDMP Accelerator node (accelerator node) causes the accelerator node to drop running backups. After the upgrade, the accelerator node starts and completes NDMP backups normally. Procedure 1. From the list of Avamar clients that are eligible for the upgrade or the hotfix, select a client. You can select more than one client. 2. On the Actions bar, click Upgrade. Upgrade Clients
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Results Avamar Client Manager starts upgrading the selected clients. The upgrade runs in the background. After you finish Track the progress of the upgrade in the Upgrade section of the Queues page. View the final status of the upgrade in the Upgrade section of the Logs page.
Deleting upgrade and hotfix packages Use Avamar Client Manager to delete upgrade and hotfix packages from an Avamar server. Before you begin Select an Avamar server that has an unneeded upgrade or hotfix package. Procedure 1. On the left-side menu, click Clients > Upgrade Clients. 2. On the Actions bar, click Select Package. The Upgrade Client dialog box appears. 3. Select a package. You can only delete packages that have a Ready status. 4. Click Delete. Results Avamar Client Manager removes the selected package from the Avamar server.
Policies The Policies page provides access to group policy tasks and information. The Policies page includes a summary of each group policy on the selected Avamar server. Use the Policies page to perform the following tasks: l
Add clients to a group
l
Remove clients from a group
l
View the details of a group's dataset policy, retention policy, and schedule policy
Adding clients to a group To apply the policies of a group to selected clients, add the clients to the group. Completion of this task results in association between the selected clients and a group. The Avamar server then applies the group's policies to the selected clients. Procedure 1. Click Policies > Groups. 2. Select a group. 3. Click Edit Group Members. The Edit Group Members dialog box appears. 334
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4. Click Add. The Add Clients to Group dialog box appears. 5. Select a client. You can select more than one client. 6. Click Add. Results Avamar Client Manager adds the clients to the group.
Removing clients from a group To remove the policies of a group from selected clients, remove the clients from the group. This task removes the association between selected clients and a group. When you complete the task, the group's policies no longer apply to the selected clients. Procedure 1. Click Policies > Groups. 2. Select a group. 3. Click Edit Group Members. The Edit Group Members dialog box appears. 4. Select a client. You can select more than one client. 5. Click Remove. Results Avamar Client Manager removes the clients from the group.
Viewing the dataset policy of a group Use the entry for a group on the Policies page to view details of the dataset policy of the group. Procedure 1. Select an Avamar server. 2. Click Policies > Groups. A summary view of the groups on the selected server appears. 3. On the entry for a group, in the Dataset column, click the name of the dataset policy. Results The dataset policy details for the selected group appear in a dialog box.
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Viewing the retention policy of a group Use the entry for a group on the Policies page to view details of the retention policy of the group. Procedure 1. Select an Avamar server. 2. Click Policies > Groups. A summary view of the groups on the selected server appears. 3. On the entry for a group, in the Retention column, click the name of the retention policy. Results The retention policy details for the selected group appear in a dialog box.
Viewing the schedule policy of a group Use the entry for a group on the Policies page to view details of the schedule policy of the group. Procedure 1. Select an Avamar server. 2. Click Policies > Groups. A summary view of the groups on the selected server appears. 3. On the entry for a group, in the Schedule column, click the name of the schedule policy. Results The schedule policy details for the selected group appear in a dialog box.
Queues The Queues page provides access to the Avamar Client Manager activity queues. The Queues page provides a summary view of active and pending Avamar Client Manager tasks for the selected Avamar server. Tasks appear in separate sections that are based on the type of task. Table 99 Task types on the Queues page
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Type of task
Browse path
Description
Activation
Queues > Activation
View active and pending tasks that are related to client activation.
Delete
Queues > Delete
View active and pending tasks that are related to the removal of clients from Avamar servers.
Move
Queues > Move
View active and pending tasks that are related to moving clients from one Avamar server to another
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Table 99 Task types on the Queues page (continued)
Type of task
Browse path
Description
Retire
Queues > Retire
View active and pending tasks that are related to retiring Avamar clients.
Upgrade
Queues > Upgrade
View active and pending tasks that are related to upgrading the software on Avamar clients.
Use the Queues page to perform the following tasks: l
View the details of active and pending tasks
l
Cancel tasks
Canceling a task Cancel a pending task to prevent it from running. You can stop a task from running by canceling it while it is in the pending state. Procedure 1. On the left-side menu, click Queues > task_queue, where task_queue is the Queues page section for the type of task you are canceling. For example to cancel a client activation, click Queues > Activation. 2. Select a task. 3. Click Cancel. A confirmation dialog box appears. 4. Click OK. Results Avamar Client Manager removes the task from the queue, cancels the task, and adds an entry to the log.
Logs The Logs page provides access to the Avamar Client Manager logs. The Logs page provides a summary view of Avamar Client Manager logs. Log entries appear in separate sections that are based on the type of task that generated the entry. Table 100 Task types on the Logs page
Task type
Browse path
Description
Activation
Logs > Activation
View log entries that are related to client activation.
Delete
Logs > Delete
View log entries that are related to the removal of clients from Avamar servers.
Move
Logs > Move
View log entries that are related to moving clients from one Avamar server to another. Canceling a task
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Table 100 Task types on the Logs page (continued)
Task type
Browse path
Description
Retire
Logs > Retire
View log entries that are related to retiring Avamar clients.
Upgrade
Logs > Upgrade
View log entries that are related to upgrading the software on Avamar clients.
l
Activation Click Logs > Activation to view log entries that are related to client activation.
l
Delete Click Logs > Delete to view log entries that are related to the removal of clients from Avamar servers.
l
Move Click Logs > Move to view log entries that are related to moving clients from one Avamar server to another.
l
Retire Click Logs > Retire to view log entries that are related to retiring Avamar clients.
l
Upgrade Click Logs > Upgrade to view log entries that are related to upgrading the software on Avamar clients.
Use the Logs page to perform the following tasks: l
View log entries
l
View the client log for upgrades
l
Clear all log entries in a section
Viewing the client log after upgrading an Avamar client View the Avamar client's local log after a completed upgrade try. Before you begin Use Avamar Client Manager to apply an upgrade package or hotfix to an Avamar client. Viewing the Avamar client's local log can provide details about the reasons for an unsuccessful client upgrade. Procedure 1. On the left-side menu, click Logs > Upgrade. 2. On the right-side of the page, click the Details bar. The Details panel expands. 3. In Summary, select a client upgrade log entry. Detailed information for the selected log entry appears in the Details panel. 4. On the Details panel, in Log, click View Log. Results The Upgrade Log window opens and the client's local log appears in the window.
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After you finish (Optional) Select and copy information from the client's local log. Paste the copied information into a text editor.
Clearing all log entries in a section Avamar Client Manager provides a method for you to remove all log entries from a task section of Logs. Before you begin Complete at least one task that results in a log entry in one of the task sections of the Logs page. Procedure 1. On the left-side menu, click Logs > task_log, where task_log is a Logs page section. For example, to clear all upgrade entries, click Logs > Upgrade. 2. Click Clear All. The Alert dialog box appears. 3. Click Yes. Results Avamar Client Manager removes all log entries for the selected section.
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CHAPTER 13 Avamar Desktop/Laptop
This chapter includes the following topics: l l l l l l l l l l
Overview of Avamar Desktop/Laptop.............................................................. 342 Requirements for Avamar Desktop/Laptop...................................................... 343 Avamar client software installation...................................................................346 Avamar Desktop/Laptop user authentication................................................... 349 Avamar Desktop/Laptop user interfaces..........................................................354 Backup with Avamar Desktop/Laptop..............................................................360 Restore with Avamar Desktop/Laptop............................................................. 366 Client backup and restore activity history........................................................ 370 Editing Avamar Desktop/Laptop parameters.................................................... 371 Client log locations........................................................................................... 373
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Overview of Avamar Desktop/Laptop Avamar Desktop/Laptop is a version of the Avamar client software for Windows and Macintosh that adds enhanced features for enterprise desktop and laptop computers. Many Avamar Desktop/Laptop features are also available on supported Linux computers. Client installation and management In a corporate environment, you can push install Avamar Desktop/Laptop on Windows and Macintosh desktop and laptop computers by using systems management tools such as Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 (SMS). You can also install the Avamar Desktop/Laptop software locally by launching an installation wizard. After client installation, you can activate, upgrade, analyze, and manage clients by using the Avamar Client Manager web browser UI. User authentication Avamar Client Manager users authenticate through the enterprise Active Directory or OpenLDAP-compliant directory service, with or without Kerberos encryption. Users can also authenticate by using built-in Avamar authentication, or a combination of Avamar authentication and LDAP authentication. NIS authentication is also supported. Pass-through authentication enables users to access the web UI without using the login screen. A secure message mechanism authenticates users based on information from the client computer. Pass-through authentication also enables administrators to allow non-domain users to restore files to their local account on the computer. User interfaces Avamar Desktop/Laptop functionality is available through two user interfaces: l
The client local user interface (client UI) is installed on the client computer when you install either the Avamar Client for Windows or the Avamar Client for Mac OS X. With the client UI, an Avamar icon appears in the notification area ("system tray") on Windows computers or on the menu bar on Mac computers. Right-click the icon on Windows or click the icon on Mac to open the client menu, which provides access to backup, restore, program settings, and logs.
l
Use the web browser user interface (web UI) to start an on-demand backup or restore, view backup and restore activity for a client computer, or configure other backup settings for a client computer.
Backup Users can start an on-demand backup with a single click on the client menu, or open the web UI for an interactive on-demand backup. Options to customize on-demand backup behavior include: l
Allowing users to create on-demand backup sets.
l
Limiting the total number of backups that can occur each day for each client computer.
l
Changing the retention policy for on-demand backups.
l
Disabling on-demand backups.
You should perform scheduled backups of all Avamar Desktop/Laptop clients. For daily scheduled backups, you can allow users to select a different start time for thier backups from a list of available times that you create. The system runs the backup as soon as possible after the selected time. 342
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You can also allow users to add folders to the source data defined by the groups to which a client belongs. The folders are included in both on-demand and scheduled backups for the client. Restore Users can search for or browse to folders, files, and file versions to either the original location or to a new location on the same computer. Users can restore data with the same name or a new name. When users restore data to the original location with the same name, the restore process overwrites any current local file versions with the restored files. This type of restore is useful in situations where the current local versions contain errors or have data corruption issues. To avoid overwriting the current local file versions, users can restore to a new location, restore with a new name, or both. Domain users can restore files from any Windows or Mac computer on which they have a user profile to the Windows or Mac computer to which they are logged in. If large restore tasks are impacting network performance, you can specify a limit for the amount of data that users are allowed to restore. Users are allowed to initiate only one restore task at a time. Additional requests are blocked and a message appears to the user. You can change this behavior to allow users to start multiple restore tasks. Activity history The History page in the web UI provides a 14-day history of the status of restore and backup tasks for a client computer, as well as listings of the folders and files backed up during that period. If you are a domain user with a user profile on the source computer, then you can view the activity history for the source computer from a different computer.
Requirements for Avamar Desktop/Laptop You should work with an EMC field sales representatives when deciding on the characteristics of the Avamar system deployment that work best to support desktop and laptop clients for an enterprise. The environment must meet the requirements in the following topics. Due to the wide range of differences in desktop and laptop topology for each enterprise, a description of the requirements for an Avamar system to support desktops and laptops at any one enterprise is beyond the scope of this guide.
Client computer requirements Avamar client computers with Avamar Desktop/Laptop must meet the minimum requirements in the following sections. Operating system requirements Avamar Desktop/Laptop client computers require a Windows, Mac, or Linux operating system that is supported for use with the Avamar client. The EMC Avamar Compatibility and Interoperability Matrixon EMC Online Support provides a complete and updated list. Windows Server, Mac OS X Server, and Linux computers that meet the requirements that are specified in the EMC Avamar Backup Clients User Guide are supported as server-class clients. Generally, the Avamar Desktop/Laptop enhancements function
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the same for server-class computers as for desktop and laptop computers. Differences include: l
On a server-class computer, clicking Back Up Now on the Client menu or on the Backup reminder launches a backup of the dataset that is assigned individually to the computer, instead of the dataset that is assigned to a group. To view or edit the dataset that is assigned to a computer use Avamar Administrator to edit the policy settings for the client. Overriding group policy settings for a client on page 123 provides instructions.
l
The Avamar Desktop/Laptop feature for disabling backups for computers running on battery power is not available for server-class computers. Backups are always enabled on server-class computers.
l
After disabling locally started restores on Windows server-class computers and Macintosh server-class computers, a restore can only be performed by using Avamar Administrator. However, users with local administrative rights on the server-class computer can restore backups to a different computer.
Hardware requirements The following table lists hardware requirements for Avamar Desktop/Laptop client computers. Table 101 Avamar Desktop/Laptop hardware requirements
Category
Requirement
CPU
1 GHz
RAM
1 GB
Hard drive space
250 MB permanent hard drive space minimum for software installation. Snapshot technology and system state backup may require additional space.
Network interface
Either of the following: l
10BaseT or higher, configured with the latest drivers for the platform
l
IEEE 802.11a/b/g, configured with the latest drivers for the platform
Supported Avamar plug-ins Avamar Desktop/Laptop supports backup and restore with the following Avamar File System plug-ins: l
Windows
l
Mac
l
Linux
Avamar Desktop/Laptop does not support application plug-ins or file system plug-ins for other operating systems. Port requirements The TCP data port must allow bi-directional communication with the Avamar server.
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Web browser requirements The web browser that you use for the Avamar Desktop/Laptop user interface must be JavaScript-enabled and meet other requirements. The following table lists supported web browsers. Table 102 Supported web browsers forAvamar Desktop/Laptop
Operating system
Supported web browsers
Windows
l
Windows Internet Explorer
l
Mozilla Firefox
Macintosh
Apple Safari
Linux
Mozilla Firefox
Use one of the environment variables in the following table to launch the web browser. Table 103 Environment variables for launching a web browser in Avamar Desktop/Laptop
Browser
Environment variable
KDE
kfmclient
GNOME
gnome-open
Others
BROWSER
Network requirements The network in an Avamar Desktop/Laptop environment must meet the requirements in the following table. Table 104 Avamar Desktop/Laptop network requirements
Category
Requirement
Protocol
TCP/IP.
Routers
Must permit TCP packet routing between the Avamar server and each client computer.
Firewalls
Must allow bidirectional communication between the Avamar server and each client computer using TCP data port 28002.
Naming system
Must facilitate connections between each client and the Avamar server, including situations where IP address changes are caused by DHCP and VPN access.
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Avamar client software installation The recommended method to install the Avamar client software on large numbers of Windows or Mac computers is to use a systems management tool. A systems management tool can remotely push install the software on large numbers of computers in a short amount of time. Also, a systems management tool can often generate a list of the computers where the software is successfully installed. You can use this list in Avamar Client Manager to register and activate computers. You can install the Avamar Client for Windows by using several silent install options. NOTICE
Do not rename client installation packages. The Avamar push upgrade mechanisms are incompatible with renamed packages.
Supported systems management tools Remote installation has been tested and approved using the following systems management tools: l
Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 (SMS) on Windows computers
l
SMS with Quest Software’s Quest Management Xtensions for SMS on Macintosh computers
You may also be able to use other systems management tools, such as the tools in the following list, to remotely push install the Avamar client software: l
Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007
l
IBM Tivoli Management Framework
l
HP OpenView ServiceCenter
l
Symantec Altiris
l
Apple Remote Desktop
Systems management tools vary. The steps required to push software to a set of computers depend on the tool. Consult the documentation for the tool to determine the steps required to perform these tasks.
Push installation on Windows computers Procedure 1. Copy the installer package for the Avamar Client for Windows to a location that is accessible to the systems management tool. 2. Configure the systems management tool to copy the correct installer package to each computer. 3. Designate the computers on which to install the software. 4. Provide an installation launch command that uses the following format: msiexec /qn /I "path_to_MSI_pkg" SERVER=server DOMAIN=domain GROUP=”groups” UICOMPONENT={0|1} PROGRESSBAR={true|false} BALLOONMESSAGE={true|false} BACKUPREMINDER=days
The following table provides details on the arguments for the installation launch command. 346
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Table 105 Push install launch command arguments
Argument
Description
"path_to_MSI_pkg"
Specifies the full path to the location of the installer package relative to the root of the computer file system.
SERVER=server
Specifies the IP address or FQDN of the Avamar server that is assigned to the client. When this argument is omitted or incorrect, the client is successfully installed but is not activated.
DOMAIN=domain
Specifies the Avamar domain for the client. The path must start with a slash path character (Unicode 002F: /). The default value is /clients.
GROUP=groups
Specifies a comma-separated list of Avamar backup groups for the client. Start the path for each group with a slash path character (Unicode 002F: /), and enclose the group path in quotation marks. For example: GROUP=”/clients/text,/clients/ admin”. The default value is “/Default Group”.
UICOMPONENT={0|1}
Specifies whether to enable the Avamar client with the standard GUI (1) or as an agent process with no user interface (0). When you specify 0, all remaining options are ignored.
PROGRESSBAR={true|false}
Specifies whether to show (true) or hide (false) the progress window on the client during tasks.
BALLOONMESSAGE={true|false}
Specifies whether to show (true) or hide (false) balloon messages on the client during tasks.
BACKUPREMINDER=days
Specifies the number of days after the last backup before a backup reminder appears. The possible values for days are numbers 1 through 7 and Never. The default value is 3.
Users can change the values set by the UICOMPONENT, PROGRESSBAR, BALLOONMESSAGE, and BACKUPREMINDER by using options on the client menu in the client UI. You can also change the values during an upgrade. 5. Launch the systems management tool installation process.
Push installation on Macintosh computers Procedure 1. Copy the installer package for the Avamar Client for Mac OS X to a location that is accessible to the systems management tool. Push installation on Macintosh computers
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2. Configure the systems management tool to copy the correct installer package to each computer. 3. Designate the computers on which to install the software. 4. Provide the installation launch command: /usr/sbin/installer -pkg "path_to_install_pkg" -target install_location
where path_to_install_pkg is the full path to the location of the installer package relative to the root of the computer file system, and install_location is the location in which to install the software. Normally, install_location is the root (/), but any local volume is allowed. 5. Launch the systems management tool installation process. After you finish After installation of the Avamar Client for Mac OS X, a restart of some clients may be required. This is caused by a change to the process data size setting that is made on those computers. During installation, the installer determines if the process data size is less than 96 MB. A minimum process data size of 96 MB is required for optimal performance of the Avamar Client for Mac OS X. If the process data size is less than 96 MB, then the installer changes it to 96 MB and displays a restart reminder. If you leave the message open for more than 30 seconds without clicking a button to restart immediately or at a later time, then the reminder is hidden and appears again in 2 hours. If you choose to restart the computer but the restart process is interrupted, then the reminder does not appear again. You must remember to restart the computer to complete th process data size change.
Local client installation You can install the Avamar Desktop/Laptop software locally by launching a graphical installation interface. After the installation, the computer is ready to register and activate with an Avamar server. To perform a local installation, you can download the client installer by using the downloads link. If the downloads link is disabled, you must transfer the client installer to the computer by some other file transfer method. The disadvantages of using local installation are: l
It is very time consuming when performed individually on thousands of computers.
l
It does not provide a list that you can use to register and activate groups of computers in Avamar Client Manager.
The EMC Avamar Backup Clients User Guide provides more information on local installation, upgrade, and uninstall of Avamar Desktop/Laptop.
Avamar client software uninstall When you uninstall Avamar client software from a client computer, scheduled backups no longer occur for the client. You cannot restore backups to the client after you uninstall the software. When you uninstall the Avamar client software, you can keep or delete the backups for the client: l
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To keep the backups for the client so that you can restore the backups to a different client, retire the client by using Avamar Administrator.
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l
To delete the backups for the client, delete the client by using Avamar Administrator.
Retire or delete the client either before or after you uninstall the Avamar client software.
Uninstall on Windows Procedure 1. Open the Windows Add or Remove Programs or Programs and Features applet. 2. In the list of currently installed programs, select EMC Avamar for Windows. 3. Click Remove. A confirmation message appears. 4. Click Yes.
Uninstall on Macintosh Procedure 1. Open a Terminal (shell) session. 2. Log in as an administrator. The uninstall command requires root (super-user) permissions. The sudo command is used to run the command with root permissions. An administrator account or another account listed in sudoers is required by sudo. 3. Run the uninstall script by typing the following command: sudo /usr/local/avamar/bin/avuninstall.sh
Avamar Desktop/Laptop user authentication Avamar Desktop/Laptop protects backup data by authenticating users and enforcing access rights. Avamar Desktop/Laptop uses a separate server process running on the Avamar system to facilitate authentication through both internal and external methods. Every Avamar system installation includes the Avamar Desktop/Laptop server process.
Pass-through authentication Pass-through authentication uses encrypted channels to access user credentials from a client computer and associate the credentials with file ownership properties. The client computer operating system obtains the user credentials during login to the computer or through common access card (CAC) technology. Avamar Desktop/Laptop performs pass-through authentication transparently. Users can back up and restore files without viewing the Avamar Desktop/Laptop login screen. Avamar Desktop/Laptop enables pass-through authentication by default. It is limited to users on Windows computers and Mac computers. Also, Windows users with local administrator privileges can restore files that are owned by anyone on the computer without additional login. Pass-through authentication is supported with LDAP authentication and NIS authentication. Avamar Desktop/Laptop user authentication
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Enabling local user access for pass-through authentication You can configure Avamar Desktop/Laptop to allow local user access through passthrough authentication. A local user is a user that is authenticated through a local computer account instead of a domain account. With local user access enabled, local users can access the Avamar client web UI to restore data they own on the authenticating computer. Local user access requires pass-through authentication on a Windows computer or a Mac computer. By default local user access is disabled. Note
Enabling local user access applies to all clients and backups associated with the server. Before you enable local user access, carefully consider its security implications within the context of the organization. Local user authentication is inherently less secure than domain authentication. To enable local user access for pass-through authentication, uncomment the allowLocalUsers property in the dtlt.properties file on the Avamar server, and then set its value to true by changing #allowLocalUsers=false to allowLocalUsers=true.
Disabling pass-through authentication You can disable pass-through authentication and require that all users log in through the Avamar Desktop/Laptop login screen. When pass-through authentication is disabled, configure one of other methods of authentication for Windows users and Mac users. To diable pass-through authentication, set the value of the userLoginRequired property in the dtlt.properties file on the Avamar server to true.
LDAP authentication Configure Avamar Desktop/Laptop to use a supported LDAP directory service to authenticate users by using the directory service user names and passwords. The authentication process uses Kerberos in a Simple Authentication and Security Layer (SASL) Bind by default. Alternatively, configure the authentication process to use plaintext in a Simple Bind. Only SASL Bind is supported with pass-through authentication. Plaintext Simple Bind is not compatible with pass-through authentication. With LDAP authentication, users log in to the client computer with a domain account authenticated through a domain directory service. To use a local account, enable local user access. To increase the security of user data, Avamar Desktop/Laptop obtains the domain username of a Windows user or Mac user from the client computer and displays it in a read-only field on the Avamar Desktop/Laptop login screen. Note
Do not use the root account on a Mac to restore files from backups.
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Configuring LDAP authentication for Avamar Desktop/Laptop To configure Avamar Desktop/Laptop to authenticate users through a supported LDAP directory service, with either Kerberos in an SASL Bind or plaintext in a Simple Bind, edit the LDAP configuration file. Before you begin l
Configure Avamar with information about the directory service. Adding information for a supported LDAP directory service on page 72 provides instructions.
l
Ensure that the configuration of the Avamar Desktop/Laptop server correctly describes any domain components that are used to segregate authentication.
l
To use Kerberos in an SASL Bind, ensure that the Kerberos realm for LDAP user authentication from Macintosh computers is the default Kerberos realm.
Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Administration launcher button. The Administration window appears. 2. Click the LDAP Management tab. 3. Click Edit LDAP file. 4. In the text area, edit or create the user-login-module key: l
To specify Kerberos in an SASL Bind, set user-loginmodule=kerberos.
l
To specify plaintext in a Simple Bind, set user-login-module=ldap.
Kerberos is the default value. Avamar Desktop/Laptop assumes this value when the key is missing. 5. Click Save. 6. Click Close.
Changing the Kerberos encryption type If you use LDAP authentication with Kerberos, you may need to change the Kerberos encryption type. Avamar Desktop/Laptop uses the MIT Kerberos encryption type “DES cbc mode with CRC-32” to communicate with LDAP servers by default. This encryption type may conflict with a key distribution center (KDC) in the Active Directory environment. If that occurs, the message KDC has no support for encryption type appears. To resolve this issue, remove the specified encryption type from the krb5.conf configuration file, which enables the KDC to select the encryption type. Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Administration launcher button. The Administration window appears. 2. Click the LDAP Management tab. 3. Click Edit KRB5 file. 4. In the text area, find the following entries: [libdefaults] default_tgs_enctypes = des3-cbc-sha1-kd des-cbc-crc desLDAP authentication
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cbc-md5 default_tkt_enctypes = des3-cbc-sha1-kd des-cbc-crc descbc-md5 5. Comment out the entries: [libdefaults] #default_tgs_enctypes = des3-cbc-sha1-kd des-cbc-crc des-
cbc-md5 #default_tkt_enctypes = des3-cbc-sha1-kd des-cbc-crc des-
cbc-md5 6. Click Save. 7. Click Close.
NIS authentication You can configure Avamar Desktop/Laptop to authenticate Linux users through the enterprise NIS. When you use NIS authentication, client computers must all use the same static, resolvable, fully qualified NIS domain name. Also, users must have correctly configured user accounts in the NIS domain. Adding information for a supported LDAP directory service on page 72 provides instructions on configuring NIS authentication.
Avamar authentication You can configure Avamar Desktop/Laptop to authenticate users by using Avamar authentication, which uses internal Avamar domain information. Avamar authentication works with users who authenticate at the Avamar root level, Avamar domain levels, or Avamar subdomain levels. The mechanism first checks at the subdomain level. If the username is found at that level, then authentication proceeds. If the username is not found, then the next level is checked. This continues until the username is found, or the Avamar root is reached without finding the username. For example, if the login computer 123abc.example.com is activated with the / clients/mountain Avamar subdomain, then the mechanism checks the Avamar system in the following order until the username is found: 1. /clients/mountain (activation subdomain) 2. /clients (next level up) 3. / (root) With Avamar authentication, client computers must have a static, resolvable, fully qualified domain name. In addition, users must have a local or domain login account for the client computer and an account on the Avamar domain associated with the client computer. Avamar Desktop/Laptop applies the role assigned to the Avamar user account when it grants access to the account through Avamar authentication. Users can perform only those operations that are allowed by their role. The one exception is that users with the Restore only operator role can launch a backup from Avamar Desktop/Laptop.
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Configuring Avamar authentication Configure an Avamar system to use Avamar authentication through the LDAP Management tab of Avamar Administrator. Before you begin Add Avamar user records to domain-level lists. Adding a user to a client or domain on page 90 provides instructions. Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Administration launcher button. The Administration window appears. 2. Click the LDAP Management tab. 3. Click Edit LDAP file. 4. Edit or create the user-login-module key: l
To use Avamar authentication and all other configured and enabled authentication methods, set user-login-module=mix.
l
To use Avamar authentication and all other configured and enabled authentication methods except LDAP, set user-login-module=avamar.
5. In the text area, type the following key/value pair: avamar-authentication-domains=/domain1,/domain2,/domain3,/...
where domain1, domain2, and domain3 are Avamar domain names that are combined in a comma-separated list. Each domain name must begin with the root path designator: /. For example, to use Avamar authentication for the following domains: / /clients/accounting /clients/shipping Type the following key/value pair: avamar-authentication-domains=/,/clients/accounting,/clients/ shipping
6. Click Save. 7. Click Close.
Mixed authentication You can use multiple authentication methods in the same environment. The authentication process occurs in the following order when you enable multiple authentication methods: 1. Users on a client in an Avamar domain are authenticated by using Avamar authentication. 2. Users who are not logged in to a client in an Avamar domain are authenticated by using pass-through authentication. 3. Linux users who are not logged in to a client in an Avamar domain are authenticated through NIS.
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4. When mixed authentication is enabled and LDAP is configured, authenticates users, who are not logged in to a client assigned to a specified Avamar domain, through LDAP.
Avamar Desktop/Laptop user interfaces Avamar Desktop/Laptop functionality is available through the client UI and the web UI.
Client UI The client local user interface (client UI) is installed on the client computer when you install either the Avamar Client for Windows or the Avamar Client for Mac OS X. With the client UI, an Avamar icon appears in the notification area ("system tray") on Windows computers or on the menu bar on Mac computers. Right-click the icon on Windows or click the icon on Mac to open the client menu, which provides access to backup, restore, program settings, and logs. The following table lists the functionality that is available in the client UI. Table 106 Avamar Desktop/Laptop client UI functionality
354
Client menu item
Description
Back Up Now
Launches a single-click on-demand backup.
Back Up...
Launches an interactive on-demand backup.
Restore...
Launches an interactive restore.
Settings > Show Backup Reminder (days)
Controls when a backup reminder appears to remind you that the computer has not been backed up for a period of time between one and seven days. You can also disable the reminder by selecting Never.
Settings > Show Progress Bar
Controls whether the Progress window appears during a backup. You can cancel, pause, or view logs for a backup from the Progress window.
Settings > Show Balloon Messages
Controls whether system status balloon messages appear near the Avamar icon on supported Windows computers.
Settings > Back Up On Battery Power
Controls whether scheduled or on-demand backups can occur for the computer when the computer is running on battery power.
Settings > Back Up On Wireless
Controls whether scheduled or on-demand backups can occur for the computer when the computer is joined to the network solely by a wireless connection.
Languages
Enables you to select the language for the client UI.
Manage > Activate Client
Activates the client, which provides a unique ID for the client and links the client to a specific Avamar server.
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Table 106 Avamar Desktop/Laptop client UI functionality (continued)
Client menu item
Description
Manage > View Console
Opens the client console, which provides access to local status records for tasks, the Agent Log, the Console Log, and the Work Order Log.
Manage > Create ZIP File of Logs
Creates a ZIP file of logs required by administrators to diagnose backup and restore problems.
(Mac only) Client Agent Tasks
Stops or restarts the backup agent process.
(Mac only) Logs
Provides access to the Agent Log, Console Log, and functionality for creating a ZIP file of logs required by administrators to diagnose backup and restore problems.
About
Provides version, server, and copyright information for Avamar Desktop/Laptop.
Help
Launches online help for Avamar Desktop/ Laptop when the client is activated to an Avamar server.
Exit
Shuts down the Avamar client.
Web UI Use the web browser user interface (web UI) to start an on-demand backup or restore, view backup and restore activity for a client computer, or configure other backup settings for a client computer. The following table describes the main elements of the web UI. Table 107 Avamar Desktop/Laptop web UI functionality
Element
Description
EMC Avamar Desktop/Laptop logo
You can replace the EMC Avamar logo and the Desktop/Laptop logo in the upper left corner of the web UI to rebrand the web UI.
Settings menu
The settings menu in the upper right corner of the web UI enables you control web UI configuration settings, including: l
Whether to show tooltips
l
The language for the web UI
l
How many entries to show on the Search, Browse, or History pages
l
The default page that appears when you perform a restore
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Table 107 Avamar Desktop/Laptop web UI functionality (continued)
Element
Description l
Refresh icon
Refreshes the web UI page.
Help menu
Provides access to the Avamar Desktop/ Laptop online help and to software version information.
Search page
Enables you to search for files and folders on the client computer to restore.
Browse page
Enables you to browse to files and folders on the client computer to restore.
Backup page
Provides information about the backup groups to which the client is assigned, as well as the next scheduled backup. Also enables you to perform an on-demand backup of the client by using the group policies for the groups to which the client is assigned. When the Add Data button is enabled on the Backup page, users can add folders to the group datasets for scheduled and on-demand backups.
History page
Provides a 14-day record of backup and restore activity on the computer, including:
Status bar
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Whether the full web UI or the browseonly mode, which displays only the Search and History pages, is used
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Status of backup activity, and for each backup, a listing of the file data that was transferred
l
Status of restore activity
Displays the date and time of the last and next scheduled backup, as well as the outcome of the last backup. The status bar displays information for the most recent 14 days. When the last backup was more than 14 days in the past, the status bar displays the message No backups found. However, if the retention policy assigned to the group for the client is more than 14 days, you may still see files on the Browse and Search pages.
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Limited user interface The Avamar server presents a limited version of the web UI to a client when the number of files and directories in a client backup exceeds about 4 million or when there is insufficient allocated memory for Avamar Desktop/Laptop. Large number of files and directories in a client backup The exact number of files and directories that causes these changes is based on the available memory on the Avamar server. There is no upper limit to the number of files and directories that can be in a backup. Insufficient allocated memory The limited version of the web UI also appears for all clients accessing the Avamar server when the memory it requires to satisfy its current Avamar Desktop/Laptop requests exceeds the memory that it has allocated for Avamar Desktop/Laptop. Encouraging users to log out of the web UI at the end of their session helps prevent this issue. Description of the limited web UI The limited version of the web UI has the following changes: l
The Search and History pages do not appear the web UI.
l
File versions are not available on the Browse page.
l
Restore is only allowed for users with local administrator rights on the computer. Non-administrator users cannot restore any files, including those that they own locally on a server-class computer.
l
Restore data size limits are not enforced.
Apache web server authentication To protect user security, web browsers display an authentication warning when accessing a secure web page unless the web server provides a trusted public key certificate with the page. The Avamar Desktop/Laptop web UI uses only secure web pages, and this warning is seen in browsers that access those pages. To avoid the warning, install a trusted public key certificate on the Apache web server provided with Avamar. The EMC Avamar Product Security Guide describes how to obtain and install a trusted public key certificate for the Apache web server.
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Rebranding the web UI You can rebrand the Avamar client web UI by replacing the two logo graphics in the upper left corner of the UI. Figure 15 Replaceable graphics on the Avamar client web UI
Procedure 1. Create two replacement graphics that are named ProductNameAvamar.png and ProductNameDTLT.png. The replacement graphics must meet the following requirements: l
The file format must be Portable Network Graphic (.png).
l
The background must be transparent so that the background gradient is visible behind the graphic text and images.
l
ProductNameAvamar.png Must be 97 pixels wide and 18 pixels tall.
l
ProductNameDTLT.png Must be 128 pixels wide and 18 pixels tall.
2. Open a command shell: a. Log in to the server as admin. b. Switch user to root by typing su -. c. For a multi-node server, load the rootid OpenSSH key by typing: ssh-agent bash ssh-add /root/.ssh/rootid
3. Change the working directory by typing the following command: cd /usr/local/avamar-tomcat-7.0.59/webapps/dtlt/images/banner
4. Make backup copies of the original graphics by typing the following commands: cp ProductNameAvamar.png ProductNameAvamar.png_orig cp ProductNameDTLT.png ProductNameDTLT.png_orig
5. Move the new logos to the current working directory as ProductNameAvamar.png and ProductNameDTLT.png. 6. If the new graphics do not appear, delete the cached copies of previously viewed files in the web browser, and then refresh the page.
Changing the web UI port Access to the web UI requires HTTPS communication between the Avamar server and the client web browser. When a user requests a backup or restore by using the 358
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Avamar client menu, the default web browser on the client is instructed to contact the Avamar server on port 443, the standard HTTPS port. On the Avamar server, this initial request to port 443 is redirected to port 8443, the HTTPS port for the web UI. You can change the initial contact port by editing the avscc.cfg configuration file on the client and the Apache SSL configuration file on the server. Procedure 1. Edit the avscc.cfg file on the client computer to use the new port number: a. Open avscc.cfg in a text editor. On Windows clients, the file is in the %SystemDrive%\Program Files \avs\var directory. On all other clients, the file is in the /usr/local/ avamar/var directory. If avscc.cfg does not exist at this location, then create the file. b. Add the following line to the file: --dtlt-port=n where n is the initial contact port number. c. Save and close avscc.cfg. d. Restart the client. 2. Edit the Apache SSL configuration file on the Avamar server: a. Open a command shell and log in as admin on a single-node server or on the utility node of a multi-node server. b. Open the Apache SSL configuration file in a text editor. On Red Hat Enterprise Linux, the file is /etc/httpd/conf.d/ssl.conf. On SuSE Linux Enterprise Server, the file is /etc/apache2/vhosts.d/ vhost-ssl.conf. c. Find the HTTPS port listening directive and change Listen 443 to Listen n, where n is the initial contact port number. d. Save and close the file. e. Restart the Apache server process by typing apachectl restart.
Changing the secure token time-out value Avamar Desktop/Laptop includes a temporary secure token as part of the URL it uses to begin a backup or restore session in a client web browser. The client web browser must establish an HTTPS connection with the Avamar server before the token expires or the session is rejected and the backup or restore cannot proceed. You can edit the default time-out value of 20 seconds. Procedure 1. Open a command shell and log in by using one of the following methods: l
For a single-node server, log in to the server as admin.
l
For a multi-node server: a. Log in to the utility node as admin. b. Load the admin OpenSSH key by typing:
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ssh-agent bash ssh-add ~admin/.ssh/admin_key
2. Stop the MCS by typing the following command: dpnctl stop mcs
3. Change the working directory by typing the following command: cd /usr/local/avamar/var/mc/server_data/prefs
4. Open mcserver.xml in a text editor. 5. In the section, edit the value of from 20 to the new time-out value in seconds. 6. Save the change and close the file. 7. Start the MCS and the scheduler by typing: dpnctl start mcs dpnctl start sched
Forcing clients to use the alternate file browsing method The Avamar client web UI uses the OS-specific file browsing services on the client computer to provide a file manager interface for users to select local files and folders to back up or restore. However, if these services are not available because the client uses NAT or because port 28002 on the client is blocked by a firewall rule, then an alternate file browsing method is offered. You can require clients to use the alternate file browsing method. One reason to make this change is to provide support for removable media. The default file browsing method does not support removable media, but the alternate method does. The alternate method uses a Java applet to provide file browsing services. When the default services are unavailable, and the user elects to permit the alternate method, the Java applet is loaded. During loading of the applet, the user may see authentication warnings about the website certificate of the Avamar server and the digital signature of the Java applet. You must acknowledge these warnings or the applet does not load. After the applet loads, the web page is automatically refreshed to allow the Avamar client web UI to use the applet. The user must restart the task after the page is refreshed. To force clients to use the alternate file browsing method, add the useAppletToBrowseLocalFile property to the dtlt.properties file on the Avamar server, and set the value to true.
Backup with Avamar Desktop/Laptop Avamar Desktop/Laptop provides several methods for starting a client backup. The following table describes the methods for starting a client backup, and the options that are available for the method.
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Table 108 Descriptions of methods for starting an Avamar Desktop/Laptop client backup
Method
Description
Scheduled
Avamar server automatically backs up the client according to the schedule specified for the client's group.
Single-click
Avamar server queues a backup of the client when a user clicks Back Up Now on the client.
Interactive
User clicks Back Up and the web UI appears. User selects from available start and data options and clicks Back Up Now on the Backup page. Avamar server adds the backup to the backup queue on the Avamar server.
Options l
User selected backup time
l
Add data
l
Add data
l
Add data
l
Dataset The dataset that is specified for the scheduled group, or the dataset that is assigned to the computer. When Add Data is enabled, the dataset also includes folders that the user has added. The dataset for each group that is associated with the computer, or the dataset that is assigned to the computer. When Add Data is enabled, the dataset also includes folders that the user has added.
The dataset of the group that the user selects from the groups that On-demand backup are assigned to the client. When set Add Data is enabled, the dataset also includes folders that the user has added. When Select Now (ondemand backup set option) is enabled and clicked, the dataset only includes the files and folders that the user selects.
Scheduled backups Perform scheduled backups of Avamar Desktop/Laptop client computers the same way that you back up other Avamar client computers in the environment. Create datasets, schedules, retention policies, and groups for the backups by using Avamar Administrator. Users see the groups that are associated with an Avamar Desktop/Laptop client on the Backup page in the web UI. The next scheduled backup time for each group associated with an Avamar Desktop/ Laptop client also appears on the Backup page. The group's policy normally determines the schedule start time for that group's backups. For individual Avamar Desktop/Laptop clients, you can permit users to select a different start time for their client's scheduled backups.
Allowing users to select the start time for scheduled backups Permit users of an Avamar Desktop/Laptop client to select a start time for the client's scheduled backups that is different from the start time that is assigned through group policy. When you enable this feature for an Avamar Desktop/Laptop client, users can select from a list of administrator-defined times that appear on the Backup page in the web UI. The selected start time applies to all subsequent scheduled backups for the client. To prevent gaps in protection, Avamar Desktop/Laptop clients continue to use the user-selected backup start time even when you remove that time from the Override Scheduled backups
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Daily Schedule. When the user next logs in to the web UI Avamar Desktop/Laptop prompts the user to select a new start time from the Backup page. The Avamar server associates a user-selected start time with the client's group. Removing the client from a group also removes the user-selected start time for that client. Procedure 1. Ensure that the client belongs to a group that uses a daily schedule. 2. Using Avamar Administrator, add time entries to the Override Daily Schedule. To add time entries to the Override Daily Schedule, complete the task that is described in Editing the start times for client overrides of group schedules on page 109. Note
The Override Daily Schedule displays time values using the time zone of the Avamar server. Avamar Desktop/Laptop uses the time zone of the client when displaying the times that appear on the Backup page. 3. Using Avamar Administrator, enable Allow override of group's daily schedule for the client. Overriding group policy settings for a client on page 123 provides instructions for setting Allow override of group's daily schedule.
Add data option For scheduled backups and for on-demand backups, allow users to specify folders to include in the group policy-based backups of an Avamar Desktop/Laptop client computer. When the Add data option is enabled, Avamar Desktop/Laptop creates backup datasets for the client computer by adding the folders that the user selects to the dataset of each group that the Avamar Desktop/Laptop client computer belongs to. Avamar Desktop/Laptop applies the exclusions and inclusions in the dataset policy of each group to the folders that the user specifies. Use Avamar Administrator to enable this option. Overriding group policy settings for a client on page 123 provides instructions for using Avamar Administrator to enable Allow additions to source data. After you enable the Add data option, users add folders by clicking Add Data on the Backup page of the web UI, and selecting the folders.
Single-click backups Users can start an on-demand backup on an Avamar Desktop/Laptop client computer by a single click on the Back Up Now button on the client menu or on the backup reminder dialog box. The data that is included in a single-click backup depends on the operating system of the client computer. The following table describes the data that is included for specific operating systems. When the Add data option is enabled, Avamar Desktop/Laptop also adds user selected folders to the data included in the backup.
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Table 109 Datasets for single-click on-demand backups
Operating system l
Windows
l
Mac
l
Linux
l
Windows Server
l
Mac OS X Server
Data included in the backup Dataset for each group that the client belongs to Dataset assigned to the computer
Interactive backups Interactive backups allow users to select a backup group that is associated with the client and back up the client by using the group's settings. When on-demand backup sets are enabled, interactive backups also allow users to choose instead to back up only selected files and folders. Group selection Users perform an interactive backup of a single group by selecting Back Up... on the client menu, selecting the backup group on the Backup page in the web UI, and then clicking Back Up Now. When a user runs an interactive backup of a group, all policies that are associated with the selected group apply to the backup. An interactive backup of a group differs from a single-click backup because in an interactive backup of a group only the selected group is backed up. File and folder selection To allow users to back up selected files on an Avamar Desktop/Laptop client without regard for the group policies that are assigned to the client, enable on-demand backup sets. After enabling on-demand backup sets, users on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers that are Avamar Desktop/Laptop clients can create sets of folders and files to back up through on-demand backups. Users can create multiple sets, save the sets for reuse, and send a backup that is based on a set to the backup queue of the Avamar server. On-demand backup sets do not change the data that is backed up according to the group policies that are assigned to the Avamar Desktop/Laptop client. The Avamar server can be configured to limit the number of on-demand backup set backups that can be started from an Avamar Desktop/Laptop client.
Allowing users to create on-demand backup sets Enable users on Windows, Mac, and Linux clients that use Avamar Desktop/Laptop to create on-demand backup sets. Procedure 1. Enable the Allow file selection on client initiated backups setting in Avamar Administrator. Overriding group policy settings for a client on page 123 provides instructions. 2. Change the value of the allowUserInititedBackupsFileSelection key in the dtlt.properties file on the Avamar server to true. Interactive backups
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3. Users create the on-demand backup sets: a. On the Avamar Desktop/Laptop client computer, right-click the Avamar icon and select Back Up.... The web UI opens to the Backup page. b. In Select folders and files to backup, click Select Now. The On-Demand Backup Sets dialog box appears. c. Select the folders and files to back up, and click OK. d. To save the backup set for reuse, type a name for the backup set in Save backup set as, and click Save. e. (Optional) To instruct the Avamar server to add a backup of the on-demand backup set to the backup queue, click Start Backup, and click OK. 4. Users instruct the Avamar server to add a backup of a saved on-demand backup set to the backup queue: a. On the Avamar Desktop/Laptop client computer, right-click the Avamar icon and select Back Up.... The web UI opens to the Backup page. b. In Select folders and files to backup, click Select Now. The On-Demand Backup Sets dialog box appears. c. In Load Backup Set, select the backup set. d. Click Start Backup, and click OK.
Setting an on-demand backup limit Set a limit on the number of on-demand backup set backups that a user can add to the Avamar server's task queue. By default, Avamar server uses the following rules for on-demand backup set backups: l
Only one on-demand backup set backup from a client is allowed in the task queue at a time.
l
An on-demand backup set backup cannot start while a backup for the client is running.
l
No limit on the number of on-demand backup set backups of a client that a user can add to the task queue.
To set a limit on the number of on-demand backup set backups that can occur each day for Avamar Desktop/Laptop client computers, set the restrictBackupsPerDay property in the dtlt.properties file on the Avamar server. The following table describes the available values. Table 110 Supported values for the restrictBackupsPerDay property
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Value
Description
false
There is no limit on the number of on-demand backup set backups that can successfully run in a day. No limit is the default setting.
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Table 110 Supported values for the restrictBackupsPerDay property (continued)
Value
Description
0
Users cannot run on-demand backup set backups.
n
No more than n on-demand backup set backups can occur for each client in a day. As used here, n is any positive integer less than or equal to 100, and a day is defined as midnight to midnight in the time zone for the Avamar server.
The specified value applies to all clients activated on the Avamar server. All successfully completed backups for all users on an Avamar Desktop/Laptop client computer count toward the total number of backups allowed each day. Note
This limit applies only to backups that are based on a user-created on-demand backup set.
Disabling on-demand backups Prevent users from performing on-demand backups from Avamar Desktop/Laptop client computers. This setting applies to both single-click on-demand backups and interactive on-demand backups. Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Policy launcher button. The Policy window appears. 2. Click the Clients tab. 3. Disable on-demand backups for either a single client or multiple clients. Number of clients One
Steps to disable on-demand backups a. Select the client and click Edit. b. In the Edit Client dialog box, clear Allow client initiated backups. c. Click OK.
Two or more
a. Select the clients and click Edit. b. In the Edit Multiple Clients dialog box, change Allow client initiated backups to No. c. Click Apply Change. d. Click OK.
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Changing the retention policy for on-demand backups The End User On Demand Retention policy controls the retention of data for ondemand backups. You can change the End User On Demand Retention policy on an Avamar server by using Avamar Administrator. The change applies to all on-demand backups initiated by a client activated with that server. However, the change only applies to on-demand backups that occur after the change. Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, select Tools > Manage Retention Policies. The Manage All Retention Policies window appears. 2. Select End User On Demand Retention from the list and click Edit. The Edit Retention dialog box appears. 3. In Retention period, type a number and select a unit of time (days, weeks, months, or years). 4. Click OK.
Restore with Avamar Desktop/Laptop The following topics provide information on performing a restore and controlling restore-related settings in Avamar Desktop/Laptop.
Finding data to restore Avamar Desktop/Laptop users can use the web UI to either browse to or search for folders, files, and file versions to restore. Browsing for data to restore From the left-side menu, select Browse to view the backups for a client computer in a tree view that you can browse to find folders and files to restore. To browse a specific backup instead of all backups for the client, use Backup Date and Time to select the date and time of the backup. Searching for data to restore From the left-side menu in the web UI, select Search to search for specific folders and files to restore. To start a search, type a search string in the search field, and click Search. Results appear as they are gathered, and a progress indicator provides information about the length of the search. The search string that you specify in the search field must be 255 characters or fewer and is not case sensitive. Supported wildcards in the search string include an asterisk (*) to represent zero or more characters and a question mark (?) to represent one character. The string is compared to the names of all folders and files in the backups for the client computer. If all or part of a folder or file name matches the string, then the folder or file name appears in the search results. Selecting a file version The backups for a client computer contain more than one version of many of the files that are backed up. When a file is backed up and then subsequently edited, the next backup contains a new version of the file. Each version is kept for the retention period set by the Avamar administrator. 366
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The number of versions of a file in the client backups depends on many factors, including: l
The length of time that backed up data is retained
l
The frequency of backups
l
How often the file is edited
When there are multiple versions of a file in the backups for a client, a version icon appears next to the file name when you browse or search for data to restore. To select a version of the file other than the most recent version, click the version icon and then select the version. Then choose whether to overwrite the existing file on the client computer or to restore the file version with a new name.
Restore types Avamar Desktop/Laptop users can restore data to the original location or to a new location on the same computer. Users can restore data with the same name or a new name. When users restore data to the original location with the same name, the restore process overwrites any current local file versions with the restored files. This type of restore is useful in situations where the current local versions contain errors or have data corruption issues. To avoid overwriting the current local file versions, users can restore to a new location, restore with a new name, or both. Domain users can restore files from any Windows or Mac computer on which they have a user profile to the Windows or Mac computer to which they are logged in. You can disable restore from a different computer by setting the value of the disableRestoreFromAlternateComputer property in the dtlt.properties file on the Avamar server to true. This is a global property that affects all clients.
Linux and Mac limitation on restore Linux and Mac users who do not have write permission for the root folder cannot use Avamar Desktop/Laptop to restore their complete directory structure to the original location. The operating system views this type of restore as an unauthorized try to write to the root folder and prevents it. Trying to restore a complete directory structure fails when all the following are true: l
User logs in to a Mac or Linux computer with a user account that does not have write permission for the root folder.
l
User logs in to the Avamar Desktop/Laptop web UI using the Avamar Authentication method.
l
On the Avamar Desktop/Laptop Browse page, the user selects the complete directory structure.
l
User does not select a new location for the restore.
Workarounds To work around this limitation, use either of the following methods for the restore: l
Restore the complete directory structure to a new location.
l
Restore less than all the files in the directory structure. For example, clear one file from the folder that is furthest down the hierarchy of the restore set. Restoring less than all the files works because the operating
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system views the subsequent restore as a series of write operations to folders beneath the root folder.
Restore requirements Review the permissions requirements and the requirements to restore from a different computer before you perform a restore.
Restore permissions The data that users can browse to, search for, and restore depends on user login account permissions. When users search or browse for data to restore, the results that appear are filtered based on the current login credentials and the data that has been backed up from the client computer. The following table provides details on the filtering. Table 111 Avamar Desktop/Laptop data restore filtering
Data type
Filtering on Windows
Filtering on Mac
Folders
Displays all folders for which the logged in user is owner or is a member of a group with ownership rights, and any folder that contains folders or files for which the user has rights.
Displays all folders for which the logged in user has Read permission either as owner or based on the folder's group or other permissions.
Files
Displays all files that the logged in user owns.
Displays all files that the logged in user owns.
When users browse for data to restore, a folder that a user does not have ownership rights for appears when it is on the file system path for a folder or file for which the user does have ownership rights. This helps to provide a more accurate representation of the file system on the computer. A dimmed checkbox appears next to the folders, and the folders are not restored when you restore a folder or file that includes them in its path. Users can restore data only if their login credentials grant operating system Write permission for the restore location. Also, to restore data that has the same path and name as data on the client computer, the login credentials must authenticate the user as the owner of the existing data before andthe restore proceeds. To restore files on Windows, the login account must have the Restore files and directories user right in Local Security. This user right is assigned by default to accounts that are members of either the Administrators or Backup Operators groups. You must assign this right to an account that is not a member of either of these groups, or of another group that includes this user right, before a user can use the account to restore data.
Requirements to restore from a different computer To restore from a different computer, the requirements in the following table must be met.
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Table 112 Requirements to restore from a different computer with Avamar Desktop/Laptop
Category
Requirement
Operating system
l
Windows operating system
l
Mac operating system
Note
Restores between Windows and Mac computers are supported. Account type
Domain
Profile
Both source and target computers have a local profile for the user’s domain account. Note
A local profile for a domain account is created automatically at a user’s first login on the computer. Avamar client
Version 7.0 or later is installed on both source and target.
Avamar server
Both source and target are activated with the same Avamar server and the server is running Avamar 7.0 or later.
Backup
There is at least one qualifying backup. A qualifying backup is one completed successfully after both: l
Avamar Desktop/Laptop 7.0 or later is installed on the source computer.
l
A local profile for the user’s domain account is created on the source computer.
By default, users with local administrator rights on a Windows source computer at the time of a backup can restore any file from that source computer to a target computer, regardless of file ownership. You can change this behavior to restrict their access to only files that they own. To restrict file access for Windows administrators, change the value of the checkAlternateComputerOwnership property in the dtlt.properties file on the Avamar server to true.
Restore limits You can limit the amount of data in a single restore task and the number of concurrent restore tasks for a client computer. Restore data size limit Avamar client users do not normally have a limit on the amount of data that is restored in a single task. This default setting enables a user to restore an entire backup in a single task. Very large restore tasks can sometimes cause undesirable load on the
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network. Set a restore data size limit to control the network load caused by these large restore tasks. When you set a limit, individual users cannot restore more than the limit in any one restore task. Users must restore files that exceed the limit in multiple tasks that do not exceed the limit, or an administrator must perform the restore. NOTICE
By design, the restore data size limit does not apply to server-class clients (those clients with a very large backup data set). To specify a restore data size limit, uncomment the limitRestoreSize key in the dtlt.properties file on the Avamar server, and set the value to the data size limit in MB. Restore queue limit The Avamar client web UI minimizes network and server load by blocking restore requests for clients that already have a restore task in the queue. Users who attempt to start a new restore while one is pending receive a message, and the request is blocked. After the pending task is complete, users can initiate a new restore task. You can change this behavior to allow users to start multiple restore tasks. The change applies to all clients of the Avamar server. To remove the restore queue limit, change the value of the disallowMultipleRestores property in the dtlt.properties file on the Avamar server to false.
Restore of replicated backups You can move an Avamar client to a new Avamar server by using Avamar Client Manager replication commands. When you move a client, the backups for the client are replicated on the new server. Avamar Desktop/Laptop must index replicated backups before they are available to browse or search in the web UI. When a user logs in from the web UI on the client after the client has been moved, the Replicated Backups Available dialog box appears. The user can either start indexing of the replicated backups or close the dialog box without starting indexing. When the user closes the dialog box without indexing, an alert icon appears on the web UI banner bar. The user can also start indexing from the alert icon. Indexing is a one-time task for a computer that has been moved to a new server. It runs in the same session in which it is started. When it completes, Avamar Desktop/ Laptop sends the web browser a refresh command, and the data from the replicated backups appears in the web UI.
Client backup and restore activity history The History page in the Avamar Desktop/Laptop web UI provides a 14-day record of backup and restore activity on the client computer. The Activity History section of the History page provides information about each backup and restore initiated during the past 14 days. It also provides links to more detailed information about the backups. Information includes the results of the activity, the start date and time, the duration of the activity, the amount of data, and the workorder ID. Click the activity label for a backup to view a list of files in the dataset for the backup.
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To view the backup history for a different computer, select the computer from the list. The requirements in Requirements to restore from a different computer on page 368 must be met before you can view the backup history for a different computer.
Editing Avamar Desktop/Laptop parameters The Avamar Desktop/Laptop properties file, dtlt.properties, enables you to change parameters that affect functionality for all Avamar Desktop/Laptop clients that connect to the Avamar server. The file is on the Avamar server at: /usr/local/ avamar/etc/dtlt.properties. Procedure 1. Open a command shell: a. Log in to the server as admin. b. Switch user to root by typing su -. c. For a multi-node server, load the rootid OpenSSH key by typing: ssh-agent bash ssh-add /root/.ssh/rootid
2. Change directory to /usr/local/avamar/etc by typing the following command: cd /usr/local/avamar/etc
3. Open dtlt.properties in a text editor. 4. Create or edit parameters. 5. Save and close the file.
Avamar Desktop/Laptop parameters The following table lists the parameters that are available in the dtlt.properties file. Table 113 Avamar Desktop/Laptop parameters
Parameter
Description
allowLocalUsers
Enables and disables local user access for pass-through authentication. Uncomment the parameter by removing the # in front of the parameter, and then set the value to true to enable local user access for pass-through authentication. Use the default value of false to disable local user access for pass-through authentication.
allowServerRestores
Enables or disables locally started restores on server class computers. Use the default value of true to allow restores on server class computers, or false to disable restores on server class computers.
allowUserInititedBackupsFileSelection
Enables or disables the ability for users to create sets of folders and files to back up in on-demand backups. To enable selectable backup sets, enable the Allow file selection on client initiated backups setting for the client in Avamar Editing Avamar Desktop/Laptop parameters
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Table 113 Avamar Desktop/Laptop parameters (continued)
Parameter
Description Administrator, and then set the value of the allowUserInititedBackupsFileSelection parameter to true. Use the default value of false to disable selectable backup sets.
checkAlternateComputerOwnership
Controls whether users with local administrator rights can restore any file from the source computer or only files that they own. Specify true to restrict local administrators to restore only files that they own, or the default value of false to allow local administrators restore any file from the source computer.
disableRestoreFromAlternateComputer
Enables or disables restore from a different computer. Specify true to disable restore from a different computer, or the default value of false to enable restore from a different computer.
disallowMultipleRestores
Controls whether users can start multiple restore tasks for a client computer simultaneously. Specify false to allow multiple simultaneous restores, or use the default value of true to prevent multiple simultaneous restores.
limitRestoreSize
Controls whether to limit the amount of data that is restored in a single task. To specify a limit, uncomment the limitRestoreSize parameter and specify the data size limit in MB. The default limit is 500 MB.
maxDirectoryDepth
Specifies the number of nested subfolders in each hierarchical branch of a backup that the Avamar Desktop/Laptop server traverses during indexing. The default value is 3000.
restrictBackupsPerDay
Controls whether there is a limit to the number of on-demand backups that can be performed from the client computer in a single day, and if so, the maximum number. Use the default value of false if you do not want to limit the number of ondemand backups that can successfully run in a day. Specify 0 to disable on-demand backups on the client computer. To limit the number of on-demand backups that can successfully run in a day, specify the limit as a positive integer that is less than or equal to 100.
useAppletToBrowseLocalFile
Controls whether users use the OS-specific file browsing services on the client computer or the alternate file browsing method. Specify true to allow users to use the OS-specific file browsing services, or false to force users to use the alternate file browsing method. The default value is false.
userLoginRequired
Enables and disables pass-through authentication. Use the default value of false to enable pass-through authentication, or true to disable pass-through authentication.
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Client log locations Local logs on client computers provide information about backup and restore operations and UI functionality. Available logs The following table lists the available logs on client computers. Table 114 Available client logs
Log type
Log file name
Description
Workorder
workorder_name.log, Provide detailed information where workorder_name is the about a specific task. full name of a task
Agent
avagent.log
Provides information about the status of all backup and restore activity on the computer.
Console
avscc.log
Provides information about the performance of the UI. A console log is created for each user on a computer.
These logs are accessible through the client UI, and also can be accessed directly. Log locations on Windows computers On Windows computers the logs are available through the paths in the following table. Table 115 Paths to logs on Windows computers
Log
Path
Workorder
%SystemDrive%\Program Files\avs \var\clientlogs\
Agent
%SystemDrive%\Program Files\avs \var\
Console
%APPDATA%\Avamar\
Log locations on Linux and Mac computers On Linux and Mac computers the logs are available through the paths in the following table. Table 116 Paths to logs on Linux and Mac computers
Log
Path
Workorder
/usr/local/avamar/clientlogs
Agent
/var/avamar/
Console
On Linux: $HOME/
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Table 116 Paths to logs on Linux and Mac computers (continued)
Log
Path On Mac:$HOME/.avamardata/
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CHAPTER 14 Data Domain System Integration
This chapter includes the following topics: l l l
Overview of Data Domain system integration...................................................376 Preparing to add a Data Domain system...........................................................380 Adding a Data Domain system.......................................................................... 384
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Overview of Data Domain system integration You can store Avamar backups on one or more Data Domain systems, and then seamlessly restore data from the backups. You can back up both file system and application data to a Data Domain system. Storage of Avamar backups on a Data Domain system is recommended in environments with databases that are large and have a high change rate. Store the following types of backups on the Avamar server instead: l
File system backups
l
Virtual machine backups
l
Remote office backups
l
Backups of databases with low change rates
When you store VMware image backups on a Data Domain system, you can boot a lost or corrupted virtual machine almost instantly from the backup by using the instant access feature. You also can store Avamar checkpoints for a single-node server or Avamar Virtual Edition (AVE) on a Data Domain system.
Integration of Avamar with Data Domain DD OS software handles the deduplication of data on a Data Domain system. The Data Domain Boost (DD Boost) library provides an interface for an Avamar system to send data that is deduplicated at the source to a Data Domain system. Avamar uses the DD Boost library through API-based integration to access and work with directories, files, and other items on the Data Domain File System. The DD Boost API gives an Avamar system an interface into some of the properties and capabilities of the Data Domain system. This interface enables an Avamar system to control backup images that are stored on Data Domain systems. It also enables Avamar to manage maintenance activities and to control replication to remote Data Domain systems. DD Boost is installed on the backup clients and on the Avamar utility node or an Avamar single node system. DD Boost is installed automatically when you install the Avamar client or server software. You can specify whether specific backup datasets are stored on an Avamar server or a Data Domain system. When you select an Avamar server as the backup target, the Avamar client on each host performs deduplication segment processing. The Avamar client sends the backup data and the associated metadata to the Avamar server. When you select a Data Domain system as the backup target, the backup data is transferred to the Data Domain system. Simultaneously, the Avamar client sends the associated metadata to the Avamar server for storage. The metadata enables the Avamar management system to perform restore operations directly from the Data Domain system without first staging the restored data on the Avamar system. The process of data recovery is transparent to the backup administrator. The backup administrator uses the same Avamar recovery processes that are native to current Avamar implementations.
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File system backups on a Data Domain system Avamar supports Data Domain system storage of file system backups for the following operating systems: l
Windows and Windows Server
l
IBM AIX
l
HP-UX (IA-64 only, requires ONCPlus Library revision 11.31.06 or later)
l
Solaris (for Solaris 10 on SPARC, client side deduplication is disabled and deduplication is performed on the Data Domain system)
l
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
l
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES)
l
Mac 10.8, 10.9, and 10.10
Only 64-bit operating systems are supported. The EMC Avamar Compatibility and Interoperability Matrix on EMC Online Support provides updated client compatibility information, including a complete list of supported operating system versions and service packs.
Application backups on a Data Domain system You can store application data backups from the following Avamar plug-ins on a Data Domain system: l
Avamar Plug-in for DB2
l
Avamar Plug-in for Exchange VSS
l
Avamar Plug-in for Hyper-V VSS
l
Avamar Plug-in for Lotus Domino
l
Avamar Plug-in for Oracle
l
Avamar Plug-in for SAP with Oracle
l
Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS
l
Avamar Plug-in for Sybase ASE
l
Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server
You can also store VMware image backups and backups with the Avamar NDMP Accelerator on a Data Domain system.
VMware instant access When you store VMware image backups on a Data Domain system, you can boot some lost or corrupted virtual machines from the backup by using the instant access feature. With instant access, the virtual machine image backup is staged to a temporary NFS share on the Data Domain system. You can then use the vSphere Client to power on the virtual machine and initiate a vMotion of the virtual machine to a datastore within the vCenter. When the vMotion is complete, the restored virtual machine files no longer exist on the Data Domain system. Then you use Avamar Administrator to delete the NFS share on the Data Domain system.
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Note
When you use instant access, do not leave the virtual machine running on the Data Domain system for extended periods. When the virtual machine runs on the Data Domain system, performance might degrade because of the workflow. You can also restore a virtual machine to the production environment instead of using instant access. The Avamar software leverages Changed Block Tracking (CBT) to dramatically speed the recovery process. The EMC Avamar for VMware User Guide provides details on instant access and restore of image backups.
Cloud tiering When you store Avamar backup data on a Data Domain system, you can also configure the backups to be tiered to the cloud. Beginning with Avamar 7.4, Data Domain Cloud Tier is also supported. DD Cloud Tier moves data from Data Domain to the cloud. From the Avamar Administrator, you can configure tiering to move Avamar backups from Data Domain to the cloud, and can perform seamless recovery of these backups. The EMC Avamar and EMC Data Domain System Integration Guide provides more information about cloud tiering with Data Domain.
Checkpoints on a Data Domain system You can store Avamar checkpoints for a single-node server or Avamar Virtual Edition (AVE) on a Data Domain system that uses DD OS 5.3 or later. Checkpoints are system-wide backups of the Avamar server for disaster recovery purposes. Storage of checkpoints on a Data Domain system is recommended in environments that do not include replication to a secondary Avamar server or in environments where most client backups are stored on a Data Domain system. To configure storage of checkpoints on a Data Domain system, select the Use as target for Avamar Checkpoint Backups checkbox when you add or edit the Data Domain system in Avamar Administrator. Contact EMC Professional Service representatives for assistance with rolling back the Avamar server to a checkpoint on a Data Domain system.
Data Domain system streams Each Data Domain system has a soft limit to the maximum number of connection and data streams that can be sustained simultaneously while maintaining performance. The number of streams varies depending on the Data Domain system model. You configure the maximum number of streams Avamar can use when you add a Data Domain system to the Avamar server. The Avamar server uses the backup stream value to limit the number of concurrent backup or restore jobs. If the Data Domain system is fully dedicated to the Avamar server, the stream value entered in Avamar Administrator could potentially be the maximum number of streams supported by the Data Domain system model. In cases where the Data Domain system is shared with other third-party applications or another Avamar server, then a subset of the number of streams should be allocated. Each Avamar backup client that supports multi-stream backups can be configured to use the appropriate number of streams (typically based on the number of databases) 378
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through multi-streaming configuration when the Avamar backup job is configured. The streams are released when the backup or restore operation completes. The number of streams allocated should depend on the number and type of Avamar clients that backs up data at about the same time.
Replication with Data Domain systems When an Avamar system stores backups on a Data Domain system, Avamar replication uses DD Boost to copy backups from the original Data Domain system and to create replicas on another Data Domain system. Supported replication configurations The following table lists the supported replication configurations for Avamar replication using DD Boost. Table 117 Replication configurations for Avamar replication using DD Boost
Backup storage
Replication storage
Single Data Domain system
Single Data Domain system
Single Data Domain system
Multiple Data Domain systems
Multiple Data Domain systems
Single Data Domain system
Multiple Data Domain systems
Multiple Data Domain systems
In a configuration where the replication storage consists of multiple Data Domain systems, control which system receives the replicas by mapping a domain on the source Avamar server to a destination Data Domain system. Also specify which Data Domain system is the default destination. Avamar replicates to the default destination when a destination Data Domain system is not identified on the Storage Mapping tab of the Replication window in Avamar Administrator. The EMC Avamar and EMC Data Domain System Integration Guide provides instructions on storage mapping and specifying the default destination Data Domain system. Replication details The following details apply to Avamar replication with Data Domain systems: l
Data transfer during replication is between the Data Domain systems, without intermediate staging
l
Replication uses DD Boost to copy backups and to write replicas
l
Requires a Data Domain replication license
l
Does not use Data Domain replication
l
Replication is configured and monitored on the Avamar server
l
Replication task scheduling uses Avamar replication schedules only
l
Data Domain administration tools are not used
Monitoring and reporting Data Domain system status Avamar can collect and display data for health monitoring, system alerts, and capacity reporting on a Data Domain system by using Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). SNMP enables you to monitor Data Domain activities, events, capacity, and system status in the same way that you monitor activities, events, capacity, and system Replication with Data Domain systems
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status for the Avamar server. You configure SNMP settings when you add a Data Domain system to the Avamar configuration. You can also run reports to analyze the system. The EMC Avamar Reports Guide provides more information about creating reports. The EMC Avamar and EMC Data Domain System Integration Guide provides more information on monitoring system status for a Data Domain system.
Security with Data Domain system integration The following sections provide details on security in an Avamar environment with Data Domain for encryption and user access. Encryption The DD Boost library supports data encryption between the Avamar client and the Data Domain system for DDOS 5.5 or newer. The DD Boost library does not support data encryption between the Avamar client and the Data Domain system for DDOS 5.4. Backups from the Avamar client to the Avamar server are always compressed and encrypted. User access Use caution when granting users access to the Data Domain system. Never provide authorization for a user to access the Data Domain system and manually delete data.
Data migration to an attached Data Domain system You cannot migrate backup data directly from the Avamar server to an attached Data Domain system. To start using the Data Domain system as the backup target for an Avamar client instead of the Avamar server, edit the dataset to use the Data Domain system, and start performing backups to the Data Domain system. When you change the backup target to the Data Domain system, you must perform a full backup. After you successfully perform a backup to the Data Domain system, you can delete the earlier backups from the Avamar server.
Preparing to add a Data Domain system Before you add a Data Domain system to the Avamar configuration, install and configure both the Avamar server and the Data Domain system. You must also ensure that the environment meets the system requirements, and create a DD Boost user account on the Data Domain system.
System requirements for Data Domain system integration Ensure that the environment meets the necessary system requirements before you add a Data Domain system to the Avamar configuration. The following table lists the requirements for the Data Domain system. Table 118 Data Domain system requirements
380
Feature or specification
Requirement for use with Avamar
Data Domain Operating System (DD OS)
DD OS 5.3 or newer
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Table 118 Data Domain system requirements (continued)
Feature or specification
Requirement for use with Avamar
DD Boost
DD Boost 2.6 or newer Note
DD Boost software enables backup servers to communicate with storage systems without the need for Data Domain systems to emulate tape. There are two components to DD Boost: one component that runs on the backup server and another that runs on the Data Domain system. In the context of Avamar, the component that runs on the backup server (DD Boost libraries) is integrated into the Avamar client. DD Boost software is an optional product that requires a license to operate on the Data Domain system. Data Domain device type
Avamar supports any Data Domain system that supports the execution of the required DD OS version.
Data Domain File System
Enable Data Domain File System by using either the Data Domain System Manager or CLI. After you enable file system operations, it may take up to 10 minutes before Avamar Administrator correctly reflects the status of the Data Domain system. The time delay is increased slightly when the Data Domain system is using the DD Extended Retention option. Do not perform backups, restores, or system maintenance operations until the status appears correctly in Avamar Administrator. Otherwise, backups, restores, or system maintenance operations may fail.
DD Boost
Enable DD Boost on the Data Domain system. When you enable DD Boost, DD Boost becomes the preferred method of connectivity for any clients that are enabled for DD Boost. While this method is acceptable for clients that can take advantage of DD Boost features, it can result in performance degradation for other clients. Proper due diligence and effective data gathering are keys to avoiding such interactions, especially during upgrades.
DD Boost user account
The DD Boost library uses a unique login account name that is created on the Data Domain system, this account name is known as the DD Boost account. Only one DD Boost account exists per Data Domain system. If the account is renamed and/or the password is
System requirements for Data Domain system integration
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Table 118 Data Domain system requirements (continued)
Feature or specification
Requirement for use with Avamar changed, these changes must be immediately updated on the Avamar system by editing the Data Domain configuration options. Failure to update the DD Boost account information could potentially yield integrity check errors or backup and restore problems. The DD Boost account must have administrator privileges.
Capacity requirements Carefully assess backup storage needs when evaluating how much data to store on the Data Domain system and the Avamar server. Include estimates from data that is sent to the Data Domain system from any other servers. When the Data Domain system reaches its maximum storage capacity, no further backups to the Data Domain system occur until additional capacity is added or old backups are deleted.
Requirements when using other backup products Data Domain systems can use other third-party backup and archiving software. The Avamar server does not assume it has sole ownership of the Data Domain system. Ensure that proper sizing is evaluated if the system is shared with other software products. The Avamar server makes no use of the native Data Domain system snapshot and replication features. Replication occurs through the DD Boost SDK library by using copying and cloning. However, other third party products may make use of the native Data Domain system snapshot and replication features. In this case, a snapshot of an entire Data Domain system or a replication of an entire Data Domain system includes the Avamar data.
Network requirements The Avamar server and all Data Domain systems must be on the same local network. Do not connect the Avamar server and Data Domain systems over a Wide Area Network (WAN). Configurations that use a WAN are not supported. You can use Avamar replication over a WAN to replicate data from source Avamar servers and Data Domain systems to target Avamar servers and Data Domain systems. Before integrating a Data Domain system with an Avamar server, ensure that enough network bandwidth is available. To obtain the maximum throughput available on a Data Domain system (for restores, level zero backups, and subsequent incremental backups after a level-zero backup), verify that the network infrastructure provides more bandwidth than the bandwidth required by the maximum throughput of the Data Domain system. The network configuration must also meet the following requirements: l
382
Assign a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) to each Data Domain system.
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l
Do not use IP addresses in place of hostnames when registering a Data Domain system. This can limit the ability to route optimized duplication traffic exclusively through a registered interface.
l
Ensure that DNS on the Data Domain system is properly configured.
l
Ensure that forward and reverse DNS lookups work between the Avamar server, the Data Domain system, and all backup and restore clients.
l
Use Hosts files to resolve hostnames to non-routable IP addresses.
l
Do not create secondary hostnames to associate with alternate or local IP interfaces.
NTP requirements The Avamar server, the Data Domain system, and all Avamar clients must use the same Network Time Protocol(NTP) server.
Port usage and firewall requirements To enable communication between Avamar and the Data Domain systems, review and implement the port usage and firewall requirements in the following documents, which are available on EMC Online Support: l
EMC Avamar Product Security Guide
l
Port Requirements for Allowing Access to Data Domain System Through a Firewall Technical Note
Creating a DD Boost user account Before you can add a Data Domain system to the Avamar configuration, prepare the Data Domain system by enabling DD Boost and creating a DD Boost user account for the Avamar server to use to access the Data Domain system for backups and restores (and replication, if applicable). If you change the DD Boost account name or password after you create the account, remember to edit the Data Domain system configuration in Avamar Administrator. Otherwise all backups, restores and maintenance activities fail. Procedure 1. Disable DD Boost on the Data Domain system by logging into the Data Domain CLI as an administrative user and typing the following command: ddboost disable
2. Create the DD Boost user account with administrator privileges by typing the following command: user add username role admin
where username is the username for the new account. 3. Set the new account as the DD Boost user by typing the following command: ddboost set user-name username
where username is the username for the account. 4. Enable DD Boost to allow the changes to take effect by typing the following command: ddboost enable Creating a DD Boost user account
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Adding a Data Domain system Procedure 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Server launcher button. The Server window appears. 2. Click the Server Management tab. 3. Select Actions > Add Data Domain System. The Add Data Domain System dialog box appears. 4. On the System tab, specify Data Domain system information: a. In the Data Domain System Name box, type the fully qualified domain name of the Data Domain system to add. Note
Do not use an IP address or a secondary hostname that associates with alternative or local IP interfaces. It may limit the ability of Avamar to route optimized deduplication traffic. b. In the DDBoost User Name box, type the username of the DD Boost account for Avamar to use to access the Data Domain system for backups, restores, and replication. c. In the Password box, type the password for the account that Avamar should use to access the Data Domain system for backups, restores, and replication. d. In the Verify Password box, type the password again to verify it. e. If you have more than one Data Domain system associated with Avamar, you can specify one Data Domain system to be the default replication storage. Select Use system as default replication storage if this system is the default replication storage. f. To store checkpoints for a single-node Avamar server or Avamar Virtual Edition (AVE) server on the Data Domain system instead of the Avamar server, select the Use as target for Avamar Checkpoint Backups checkbox. g. Click Verify to view the maximum number of streams that the Data Domain system supports. h. Specify the maximum number of streams that Avamar can use at any one time to perform backups and restores: l
To specify a defined number of streams, type the number in the Max used by Avamar box.
l
To specify a maximum number of streams based on the percentage of the total number of supported streams, type the percentage in the Max used by Avamar box and then select the As percentage of the max limit checkbox.
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If the processes writing to and reading from the Data Domain system use all available streams, then Avamar queues backup or restore requests until one or more streams become available. 5. To configure SNMP, click the SNMP tab. SNMP configuration enables Avamar to collect and display data for system health monitoring, system alerts, and capacity reporting. 6. Verify the SNMP configuration: l
The Getter/Setter Port Number box lists the port on the Data Domain system from which to receive and on which to set SNMP objects. The default value is 161.
l
The SNMP Community String box lists the community string Avamar uses for read-only access to the Data Domain system.
l
The Trap Port Number box lists the trap port on the Avamar server. The default value is 163.
7. To configure cloud tiering, click the Tiering tab. Cloud tiering is used by the Avamar software to move Avamar backup data from a Data Domain system to the cloud. 8. Click OK. A progress message appears. 9. When the operation completes, click Close. Results When you add a Data Domain system to the Avamar configuration, Avamar creates an MTree on the Data Domain system for the Avamar server. The MTree refers to the directory created within the DD Boost path. Data Domain systems support a maximum of 100 MTrees. If you reach the limit, then you cannot add the Data Domain system to the Avamar configuration.
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APPENDIX A Command Shell Server Logins
This appendix includes the following topics: l l l l
User accounts.................................................................................................. 388 Starting command shell sessions......................................................................388 Switching user IDs........................................................................................... 388 Using sudo....................................................................................................... 389
Command Shell Server Logins
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User accounts The following user accounts are commonly used for system administration and maintenance tasks: l
root
l
admin
The admin account requires authentication by way of Secure Shell (SSH).
Starting command shell sessions Log in to an Avamar server or utility node through SSH as the admin user to perform configuration and maintenance tasks for the Avamar system. Procedure l
To start a command shell session on a single-node server, open a command shell and log in to the server as admin.
l
To start a command shell session on a multi-node server: a. Open a command shell and log in to the utility node as admin. b. Load the admin OpenSSH key by typing the following commands: ssh-agent bash ssh-add ~admin/.ssh/admin_key
c. When prompted, type the admin_key passphrase and press Enter.
Switching user IDs You can switch the user of a command shell session to root by typing su, and switch back to the previous login ID by typing exit. When you switch the user of a command shell session to admin, you must also load the admin OpenSSH key. Procedure 1. Switch user to the admin user account and login shell by typing su - admin. 2. When prompted for a password, type the admin password and press Enter. 3. Load the admin OpenSSH key by typing: ssh-agent bash ssh-add ~admin/.ssh/admin_key Note
To determine the active user account (login ID) of a shell session, type whoami.
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Using sudo On Gen4 and later Avamar Data Stores, the admin user accounts is automatically added to the sudoers file. This enables admin users to execute a limited set of commands that would otherwise require operating system root permission.
Prefixing commands with sudo Instead of switching user to root with the su command, admin user can directly issue commands normally requiring root permissions by prefixing each command with sudo. For example, the following command installs MyPackage.rpm: sudo rpm -ivh MyPackage.rpm
If prompted for a password, type the password and press Enter. You might be periodically prompted to retype the admin password when prefixing other commands with sudo. This is normal.
Using sudo
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APPENDIX B Plug-in Options
This appendix includes the following topics: l l l
How to set plug-in options............................................................................... 392 Backup options................................................................................................ 392 Restore options................................................................................................395
Plug-in Options
391
Plug-in Options
How to set plug-in options Plug-in options enable you to control specific actions for on-demand backups, restores, and scheduled backups. The plug-in options that are available depend on the operation type and plug-in type. You specify plug-in options in Avamar Administrator for on-demand backup or restore operations, or when you create a dataset for a scheduled backup. You set plug-in options with the graphical user interface (GUI) controls (text boxes, checkboxes, radio buttons, and so forth). In addition to using the GUI controls for the options, you can type an option and its value in the Enter Attribute and Enter Attribute Value fields. NOTICE
The Avamar software does not check or validate the information that you type in the Enter Attribute and Enter Attribute Value fields. In addition, the values in the Enter Attribute and Enter Attribute Value fields override settings that you specify with the GUI controls for the options.
Backup options The backup options that appear depend on the type of plug-in. This section describes the backup options for the following plug-ins: l
AIX file system
l
FreeBSD file system
l
HP-UX file system
l
Linux file system
l
Macintosh file system
l
NetWare file system
l
SCO OpenServer file system
Backup options for the Avamar Plug-in for Microsoft Windows are available in the EMC Avamar for Windows Server User Guide. Backup options for application plug-ins, such as SQL Server and SharePoint VSS, are available in the user guide for the plugin. The following tables describe the options that are available when you perform an ondemand backup or when you configure a dataset for scheduled backups for the listed file system plug-ins. Table 119 Backup plug-in options
392
Option
Description
Store backup on Data Domain system
(AIX, HP-UX, Linux, and Macintosh only) Stores the backup on a configured Data Domain system instead of on the Avamar server. To store the backup on a Data Domain system, select the checkbox and then select the Data Domain system from the list.
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Plug-in Options
Table 119 Backup plug-in options (continued)
Option
Description
Encryption method to Data Domain system
(AIX, HP-UX, Linux, and Macintosh only) Specifies the encryption method for data transfer between the client and the Data Domain system.
Backup label
Assigns this descriptive label to the backup.
Table 120 Backup plug-in options for (NetWare only) SMS Authentication
Option
Description
Server login ID
(NetWare only) Specifies the SMS login username. For example, CN=admin.O=HOSTNAME_CTX.
Server password
(NetWare only) Specifies the password for the SMS login username.
Snapshot stored-on pool
(NetWare only) Specifies the snapshot stored-on pool name.
Table 121 Backup plug-in options for logging
Option
Description
List backup contents
Specifies how much information about the backup contents to include in the log files. One of the following:
Informational message level
Report advanced statistics
l
No file listing
l
List file names
l
List files and dates
Specifies how many informational messages to include in the log files. One of the following: l
No informationals—Suppresses all informational messages, but includes errors and warnings in the log files.
l
Some informationals—Includes some informational messages in the log files.
l
Many informationals—Includes additional status information in the log files.
l
All informationals—Provides maximum information. Includes all informational messages, errors, and warnings in the log files.
Specifies whether to write advanced timing and deduplication statistics to the log files. Backup options
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Plug-in Options
Table 121 Backup plug-in options for logging (continued)
Option
Description
Enable debugging messages
Specifies whether to write maximum information to log files, which creates very large log files.
Table 122 Backup plug-in options for file system traversal
Option
Description
Do not traverse any mounts
Specifies whether to traverse mount points during the backup.
Traverse fixed-disk mounts
Specifies whether to traverse only hard disk file system mount during the backup.
Traverse fixed-disk and remote network mounts
Specifies whether to traverse both hard disk and NFS network mount points during the backup.
Force traversal of specified file system type(s)
Accepts a comma-separated list of one or more file system types (for example, nfs, ext2, jfs, xfs) that should not be traversed during this backup.
Table 123 Backup plug-in options for pre-script
Option
Description
Run user-defined script at beginning of backup
Runs a user-defined script at the beginning of the backup session. The script must be located in /usr/local/avamar/etc/ scripts.
Abort backup if script fails
Specifies whether to stop the backup if the script returns a non-zero status code.
Table 124 Backup plug-in options for post-script
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Option
Description
Run user-defined script at end of backup
Runs a user-defined script at the end of the backup session. The script must be located in /usr/local/avamar/etc/scripts.
Exit process with script failure exitcode
Specifies whether avtar should exit with the exit code of the script instead of a standard avtar exit code.
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Plug-in Options
Table 125 Backup plug-in client cache options
Option
Description
Check client-side caches and report inconsistencies
If selected, a backup does not occur. Instead, Avamar performs a validation check of the client-side cache with the Avamar server.
Check and repair client-side caches
If selected, a backup does not occur. Instead, Avamar performs a validation check of the client-side cache with the Avamar server, and repairs inconsistencies.
Maximum client file cache size (MBs)
Specifies the maximum client file cache size in MB. A negative value indicates a fraction of RAM. For example, -8 specifies that no more than 1/8th of physical RAM should be allocated to the client file cache.
Maximum client hash cache size (MBs)
Specifies the maximum client hash cache size in MB. A negative value indicates a fraction of RAM. For example, -8 specifies that no more than 1/8th of physical RAM should be allocated to the client hash cache.
Table 126 Backup plug-in advanced options
Option
Description
Client-side flag file
Specifies the path to a flag file on the client that contains additional option settings.
Network usage throttle (Mbps)
Specifies a setting that reduces network usage to a specified rate, expressed as megabits/second. For example, 0 = unrestricted, 50% of a T1 = 0.72.
Directly connect to all server nodes
Specifies whether to establish multiple connections to the server. Multiple connections can improve backup performance.
Restore options The restore options that are available depend on the type of plug-in. This section describes the backup options for the following plug-ins: l
AIX file system
l
FreeBSD file system
l
HP-UX file system
l
Linux file system
l
Macintosh file system
l
NetWare file system Restore options
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Plug-in Options
l
SCO OpenServer file system
Restore options for the Avamar Plug-in for Microsoft Windows are available in the EMC Avamar for Windows Server User Guide. Restore options for application plug-ins, such as SQL Server and SharePoint VSS, are available in the user guide for the plugin. The following tables describe the options that are available when you perform a restore using the listed file system plug-ins. Table 127 Restore plug-in options
Option
Description
Overwrite existing files
Controls behavior when the file to be restored exists. One of the following:
Encryption method from Data Domain system
l
Never
l
Always
l
Generate New Name
l
If Modified
l
If Newer
If the backup was stored on a Data Domain system, select the encryption method to use for data transfer from the Data Domain system to the client.
Table 128 Restore plug-in options for (NetWare only) SMS Authentication
Option
Description
Server login ID
(NetWare only) Specifies the SMS login username. For example, CN=admin.O=HOSTNAME_CTX.
Server password
(NetWare only) Specifies the password for the SMS login username.
Table 129 Restore plug-in options for logging
Option
Description
List backup contents
Specifies how much information about the backup contents to include in the log files. One of the following:
Informational message level
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l
No file listing
l
List file names
l
List files and dates
Specifies how many informational messages to include in the log files. One of the following:
Plug-in Options
Table 129 Restore plug-in options for logging (continued)
Option
Description l
No informationals—Suppresses all informational messages, but includes errors and warnings in the log files.
l
Some informationals—Includes some informational messages in the log files.
l
Many informationals—Includes additional status information in the log files.
l
All informationals—Provides maximum information. Includes all informational messages, errors, and warnings in the log files.
Report advanced statistics
Specifies whether to write advanced timing and deduplication statistics to the log files.
Enable debugging messages
Specifies whether to write maximum information to log files, which creates very large log files.
Table 130 Restore plug-in options for pre-script
Option
Description
Run user-defined script at beginning of restore
Runs a user-defined script at the beginning of the restore session. The script must be located in /usr/local/avamar/etc/ scripts.
Abort restore if script fails
When the script returns a non-zero status code, specifies whether to stop the restore.
Table 131 Restore plug-in options for post-script
Option
Description
Run user-defined script at end of restore
Runs a user-defined script at the end of the restore session. The script must be located in /usr/local/avamar/etc/scripts.
Exit process with script failure exitcode
Specifies whether avtar should exit with the exit code of the script instead of a standard avtar exit code.
Table 132 Restore plug-in client cache options
Option
Description
Check client-side caches and report inconsistencies
If selected, a restore does not occur. Instead, Avamar performs a validation check of the client-side cache with the Avamar server. Restore options
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Plug-in Options
Table 132 Restore plug-in client cache options (continued)
Option
Description
Check and repair client-side caches
If selected, a restore does not occur. Instead, Avamar performs a validation check of the client-side cache with the Avamar server, and repairs inconsistencies.
Rebuild client-side caches from most recent backup
Does not restore data. If selected, Avamar uses the contents of the last backup to recreate the client-side file cache.
Table 133 Restore plug-in advanced options
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Option
Description
Do not descend into subdirectories
Specifies whether to restore only the specified top-level directory and not any subdirectories.
Recreate original path beneath target directory
Specifies whether to re-create the original path to files and directories beneath the specified target directory. For example, if you restore /usr/MyDir/MyFile to /tmp and you select this option, then the full path to the restored file is /tmp/usr/MyDir/ MyFile.
Directly connect to all server nodes
Specifies whether to establish multiple connections to the server. Multiple connections can improve restore performance under certain circumstances.
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GLOSSARY
A accelerator
activation
The Avamar NDMP Accelerator (accelerator) is a specialized Avamar server node that, when used as part of an Avamar system, enables backup and restore of network addressed storage (NAS) systems by way of the network data management protocol (NDMP). The process of passing the client ID (CID) back to the client, where it is stored in an encrypted file on the client file system. See also client activation
authentication system
A username and password system that is used to grant user access to the Avamar server. Avamar supports its own internal authentication system (avs), as well as several external authentication systems (OpenLDAP, Windows Active Directory, NIS, and SMB).
Avamar Administrator
A graphical management console software application that is used to remotely administer an Avamar system from a supported Windows or Linux client computer.
Avamar client
A computer or workstation that runs Avamar software and accesses the Avamar server over a network connection. Avamar client software comprises a client agent and one or more plug-ins.
Avamar Downloader Service
A Windows-based file distribution system that delivers software installation packages to target Avamar systems.
Avamar File System (AvFS)
A browsable virtual file system view of the normally inaccessible Avamar HFS. The Avamar File System provides read-only accessibility to all backups stored on an Avamar server down to the individual file level. This allows an Avamar server to be used as an online long-term historical strategic enterprise information store in addition to a backup and restore repository.
Avamar Installation Manager Avamar server
Avamar Web Access AvInstaller
A web interface that manages installation packages. The server component of the Avamar client/server system. Avamar server is a faulttolerant, high-availability system that efficiently stores the backups from all protected clients. It also provides essential processes and services required for data restores, client access, and remote system administration. Avamar server runs as a distributed application across multiple networked storage nodes. A browser-based user interface that provides access to the Avamar server for the express purpose of restoring files to a client. A backend service that executes and reports package installations.
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Glossary
B backup
A point-in-time copy of client data that can be restored as individual files, selected data, or as an entire backup.
C client activation
The process of passing the client ID (CID) back to the client, where it is stored in an encrypted file on the client file system. See also activation
client agent client registration
A platform-specific software process that runs on the client and communicates with the Management Console Server (MCS) and with any plug-ins installed on that client. The process of establishing an identity with the Avamar server. When Avamar recognizes the client, it assigns a unique client ID (CID), which it passes back to the client during client activation. See also registration
ConnectEMC
A program that runs on the Avamar server and that sends information to EMC Technical Support. ConnectEMC is typically configured to send alerts for high priority events as they occur, as well as reports once daily.
D dataset
A policy that defines a set of files, directories, and file systems for each supported platform that are included or excluded in backups across a group of clients. A dataset is a persistent and reusable Avamar policy that can be named and attached to multiple groups.
DNS
Domain Name Server. A dynamic and distributed directory service for assigning domain names to specific IP addresses.
domain
A feature in Avamar Administrator that is used to organize large numbers of clients into named areas of control and management.
E
400
Email Home
An optional feature that uses the High Priority Events profile and Notification schedule to regularly send server error and status messages to EMC Technical Support.
EMC repository
A repository that contains server installation packages, client installation packages, and manifest files. The repository is located on the EMC network. Each EMC customer has a download center that contains files available to them. Outgoing communication from the Avamar Downloader Service to the EMC repository is encrypted with SSL over an HTTP connection.
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Glossary
EM Tomcat server (EMT) ESRS
The Avamar EM Tomcat server (EMT) provides essential services required to display Avamar system information, and provides a mechanism for managing Avamar systems using a standard web browser. The EMT also communicates directly with MCS. EMC Secure Remote Support.
F full replication
A full “root-to-root” replication creates a complete logical copy of an entire source system on the destination system. The replicated data is not copied to the REPLICATE domain. Instead, it is added to the root domain just as if source clients had registered with the destination system. Also, source server data replicated in this manner is fully modifiable on the destination system. This replication method is typically used for system migration (from a smaller Avamar configuration to a larger, possibly multi-node configuration) or system replacement (for instance, in a case of disaster recovery).
G group
group policy
A level of organization in Avamar Administrator for one or more Avamar clients. All clients in an Avamar group use the same group policies, which include the dataset, schedule, and retention policy. The dataset, schedule, and retention policy for all clients in an Avamar group.
H HFS HFS check
Hash File System. The content addressed storage area inside the Avamar server used to store client backups. An Avamar Hash File System check (HFS check) is an internal operation that validates the integrity of a specific checkpoint. Once a checkpoint has passed an HFS check, it can be considered reliable enough to be used for a server rollback.
J JRE
Java Runtime Environment.
L LAN local repository
LOFS
Local Area Network. The /data01/avamar/repo/packages directory on the utility node or single-node server. This directory contains the most current manifest file from the EMC repository. The Avamar Downloader Service pushes packages from the EMC repository to the local repository. If a customer site does not allow Internet access, you can manually copy packages into the local repository. Loopback File System
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Glossary
M MAC address
Media Access Control Address. A unique hardware address, typically embedded at the lowest level in a hardware assembly, that uniquely identifies each device on a network.
manifest file
An XML file listing all the server, client, and workflow packages currently available for download from the EMC repository.
MCS
Management console server. The server subsystem that provides centralized administration (scheduling, monitoring, and management) for the Avamar server. The MCS also runs the server-side processes used by Avamar Administrator.
module
Avamar 1.2.0 and earlier multi-node Avamar servers utilized a dual-module synchronous RAIN architecture in which nodes were equally distributed in two separate equipment cabinets on separate VLANs. The term “module” is a logical construct used to describe and support this architecture (older multi-node Avamar servers comprised a primary module and a secondary module). These legacy systems continue to be supported. However, newer multi-node Avamar servers use a single module architecture, and even though Avamar Administrator provides “module detail” information, a module is therefore logically equivalent to the entire server.
N NAT NDMP NFS
Network Address Translation. Network data management protocol. An open protocol that is used to move data from a NAS system to a backup server. Network file system.
NIS
Network Information Service. An external authentication system that can be used to log in to an Avamar server.
node
A networked storage subsystem that consists of both processing power and hard drive storage, and runs Avamar software.
NTP
Network Time Protocol. Controls the time synchronization of a client or server computer to another reference time source.
O ODBC
OpenLDAP
402
Open DataBase Connectivity. A standard database access method that makes it possible to access any data from any application, regardless of which database management system (DBMS) is handling the data. Open Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. An external authentication system that can be used to log in to an Avamar server.
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Glossary
P packages
Avamar software installation files, hotfix patches, and OS patches available from the EMC repository. Packages comprise three types: l
Client—A release of Avamar file system or application backup software.
l
Server—A new release of Avamar server software, a service pack, or a patch for the operating system, MC, or GSAN.
l
Workflow—A package that runs operations such as adding a node or replacing a node.
Package files use the .avp file extension. PAM plug-in plug-in options policy
Pluggable Authentication Module. A Linux library that enables a local system administrator to define how individual applications authenticate users. Avamar client software that recognizes a particular kind of data resident on that client. Options that you specify during backup or restore to control backup or restore functionality. A set of rules for client backups that can be named and applied to multiple groups. Groups have dataset, schedule, and retention policies.
R RAIN
RDMS registration
Redundant Array of Independent Nodes. A flexible, fault-tolerant architecture that enables an Avamar server to maintain availability and preserve data storage if single nodes fail in an Avamar module. Relational Database Management System. The process of establishing an identity with the Avamar server. When Avamar recognizes the client, it assigns a unique client ID (CID), which it passes back to the client during client activation. See also client registration
replica
Replicated copy of a backup.
replication
Replication is an optional feature that enables an Avamar system to store read-only copies of its data on a remote system. The replicated data can be replicas of client backups and copies of Avamar system data. Replication supports disaster recovery of the Avamar system.
restore
An operation that retrieves one or more file systems, directories, files, or data objects from a backup and writes the data to a designated location.
retention
The time setting to automatically delete backups on an Avamar server. Retention can be set to permanent for backups that should not be deleted from an Avamar server. Retention is a persistent and reusable Avamar policy that can be named and attached to multiple groups.
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Glossary
roles
A setting in Avamar Administrator that controls which operations each user can perform in the Avamar server. Roles are assigned on a user-by-user basis.
S schedule
SSH
storage node system migration
The ability to control the frequency and the start and end time each day for backups of clients in a group. A schedule is a persistent and reusable Avamar policy that can be named and attached to multiple groups. Secure Shell. A remote login utility that authenticates by way of encrypted security keys instead of prompting for passwords. This prevents passwords from traveling across networks in an unprotected manner. A node in the Avamar server that provides storage of data. A planned operation that uses full “root-to-root” replication to copy all data residing on a source Avamar server to a new destination server. If global client IDs (global CIDs) are used, clients that formerly backed up to the source server can continue to operate transparently without reregistering with the new destination server.
T TFTP
Trivial File Transfer Protocol. A version of the TCP/IP FTP protocol that has no directory or password capabilities.
U utility node
In scalable multi-node Avamar servers, a single utility node provides essential internal services for the server. These services include MCS, cronjob, Domain Name Server (DNS), External authentication, Network Time Protocol (NTP), and Web access. Because utility nodes are dedicated to running these essential services, they cannot be used to store backups.
V VLAN
404
Virtual Local Area Network.
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